In The Forests of the Night
by Hanyu Girl Inu
Summary: What would happen to Kagome if Inuyasha wasn't around one night to protect her?
1. Chapter 1

**In The Forests Of The Night**

**_Hey there, this is my first lemon fic so I hope it's not too bad. Reviews are always welcome and some "how to make it betters" are ok too. This story has some things that some people may find offensive so if violence bothers you turn away now! You've been warned. __I don't own any Inuyasha characters they belong to whoever made them up and turned them into a show. With that said on with the story!_**

"Stupid Inuyasha!" Kagome growled angrily, clenching her fists together.

It was a beautiful, romantic night tonight, the stars were twinkling happily and the moon was shining brightly above without a cloud in the sky to block its silver rays. There was a gentle breeze blowing through the trees, giving the air enough of a nip to make Kagome shiver slightly. It was the perfect night to cuddle next to Inuyasha, if he was around to cuddle that is.

He had run off into the forest saying that he'd be back later but that had been nearly three hours ago. Kagome had tried to follow him but he was much faster than she was and she lost him early on in the chase. Now she just sat by the campfire they'd built and waited for his return, swearing obscenities about his heritage the entire time.

Soon another hour passed, then another and Kagome's anger continued to rise as time went on, _"the second he gets back I'm going to kill him!"_

She sighed and lay back on the grass, looking up at the stars above with blank eyes. She loved Inuyasha dearly but there were times that she just wanted to bash him over the head and tonight was one of them. But even though she was angry at him she couldn't help but feel a twinge of worry, he was usually back by now to fill her in on his plans or something but she hadn't seen a hair of him since dusk.

Kagome sighed once more and let her mind wander. She truly did care for him but she always wondered if he cared for her in the same way that she did him. Sure, she knew he cared for her that was obvious in the way he protected her but just how deep did his feelings go for her? Did he see her as a mate, a lover, a sister, or just someone who could help him find the sacred jewel shards? Kagome wanted nothing more than for him to love her; she had spent many a night dreaming of the white-haired, golden eyed hanyu. She often dreamt of holding him close to her and running her hands through his long, silky mane as he purred softly against her chest.

Kagome closed her eyes and imagined that Inuyasha was lying next to her stroking her face and neck lightly with his knuckles. In her mind he leaned down and placed a tender yet passionate kiss to her mouth as his hand drifted down to her waist…

Her daydream was cut short when she heard a twig snap somewhere behind her. She gasped and grabbed her bow and arrow, ready to fire at whatever may come her way. She looked around with cautious eyes until she saw a rabbit run in front of her before it darted off into the bushes. Kagome set down her bow and sighed in relief, "I need a drink."

She made her way to the small creek that was a short walk from the camp-sight and knelt next to it, cupping her hands in the cool water before bring them to her lips. Kagome looked up at the moon again and felt a small bit of sweat running down her neck, she wiped it away and groaned, "Darn it!"

She began to splash some water onto her face and neck to calm her nerves, she always got a little jumpy when Inuyasha wasn't around and the fact that she had been daydreaming about the handsome hanyu didn't help matters. She would always become flustered and nervous after daydreaming, she often wondered why she did it but whenever Inuyasha sat next to her or let her ride on his back she couldn't help but imagine what it might be like to feel his hands on her body, caressing her and making her feel wanted.

Kagome felt her flush returning and unbuttoned her shirt a little to splash some water on her chest, shivering slightly as the chilly liquid hit her heated skin. It was a strange combination of relief and something else, the water both soothed her and made her more alert for some reason instead of calming her as it was meant to. She continued to cool herself off, unbuttoning her shirt a little more to release some of the heat that had become trapped beneath the fabric, unaware of the two golden eyes that watched her from the safety of the nearby trees.

Sesshomaru had decided to go for a walk after he tried to fall asleep but failed miserably at it. It was mating season and he was becoming increasingly more aware of the urges that threatened to overtake him as he traveled with his companions. He hated mating season, not only did he lose a great deal of his control he also couldn't sleep unless he found some type of relief from the fire that continually grew in the pit of his stomach.

That day had been particularly difficult for him, normally he was by himself when mating season came around so he didn't have to worry about anyone else but now he had Jaken and Rin to keep out of trouble. On top of that the little human he had grown to love was starting to develop certain parts of her female anatomy that made her attractive. She was becoming taller and slimmer, her curves starting to show through now that she was a teenager but what drove him insane was her sweet scent. Every time the wind blew by it carried her scent to him and it was everything he could do to keep himself under control and not tackle the girl and take her right then and there.

That night he had tried to sleep but the constant breeze kept reminding him of the sweet, innocent little creature sleeping just a few feet away from him. For a moment he had thought about taking her somewhere and having his way with her but somehow he managed to stop himself from doing so and decided to walk off some of the extra energy instead. He desperately wanted Rin, he had since she came of age but she was still far too young to accommodate his sexual needs just yet. If he took her now it would most likely harm her and he cared for her too much to hurt her, so he would have to wait to fulfill that desire until she was older and ready.

He paused to sniff the air and found a familiar scent lingering in the wind. It was Inuyasha's scent which meant that he was probably off somewhere nearby fooling around. Sesshomaru ignored his brother's presence and continued on his walk but as he neared the creek his nose picked up another scent, a human scent. He stopped behind a tree and looked out to see who it was, his eyes going wide slightly as he came upon a peculiar scene. Kneeling next to the swiftly moving water was Inuyasha's traveling companion… what was her name? Oh yes, Kagome was her name, he'd heard his half-brother call out to her enough times during battle to figure out who she was.

What surprised him was how she was acting, she was splashing water on herself as if trying to cool off but the night was already chilly so he couldn't figure out why she would be doing this. Then she began to unbutton her shirt, revealing some of her smooth, pale skin that lay beneath the thin material. He looked closer and saw that her skin had a slight flush to it and he could smell a small bit of sweat on the girl. Sesshomaru was slightly amazed at the sight before him, he had never really seen the girl face to face before but now that he was up close he could see that Kagome was actually quite beautiful. Her dark hair framed her delicate face and spilled over her shoulders like a black river, making a nice contrast against her pale white flesh.

Sesshomaru felt a familiar feeling growing within him and an idea suddenly popped into his mind. Since he couldn't have Rin he would have to find someone else to fulfill his desires and he had just found that someone. He sniffed the air once more and found no trace of Inuyasha, happy to know that there wouldn't be any unwanted interruptions. He looked back to Kagome and a slight smile graced his lips, _"Inuyasha's not here to protect you now. This night you belong to me, human."_

Kagome had finally gotten the hot feeling to leave her and she stood up to button her shirt once more. After she was finished she went back to camp and laid back down on the grass, deciding to get some sleep while she could. She closed her eyes and cleared her mind, not wanting to have to return to the creek again and it didn't take long for her to start dozing off. Just as sleep was about to claim her she felt a large hand moving some hair out of her face but she guessed it to be Inuyasha and simply ignored the act. He had played with her hair several times in the past when she was asleep so it didn't bother her.

The hand then moved down to her neck and she leaned into the touch, enjoying the feeling of his fingertips against her skin. Moments later his hand left her neck to rest beside of her head then she felt a body rest lightly over her chest as a pair of warm lips pressed firmly into hers. Kagome sighed into him and returned the kiss, feeling her heart jump with joy as he responded to her. She raised her hand to let it rest on the side of his face, enjoying the feeling of his smooth skin against her palm. Her hand slid down to rest on his shoulders and her fingers came into contact with something hard and cold, like metal. She curiously traced the object and found it to be some type of armor then confusion overtook her curiosity, _"When did Inuyasha get armor?"_

Kagome had stopped responding to his kiss when she discovered the armor and this made him angry, he growled softly and bit her lip just enough to get her attention but not draw blood. She cried out and pulled away from him, "Inuyasha! What are you doing, that hurt!"

Kagome looked up at her lover and gasped in shock, for the face she saw above her wasn't Inuyasha's but the one person she never expected to see, "S… Sesshomaru!"

He smirked slightly, "you were expecting Inuyasha? Sorry but my half-breed brother isn't here tonight, just me."

"W… what do you want?"

Sesshomaru chuckled and leaned down close to her, his deep silken voice reaching her ears as he whispered, "isn't that obvious? I want you, girl."

Sesshomaru closed the gap between them and kissed her fiercely, trying to force his way into her mouth with his hot, wet tongue. Kagome fought him and tried to push him away but he was too heavy to move. Out of desperation she bit down hard on his lip, causing him to pull away from her with a snarl. Kagome used the split second distraction to push him away and got up, running into the woods as fast as her legs could carry her.

Sesshomaru watched her fleeing form with amused eyes as she disappeared behind the trees then he felt his demonic instincts kick in as he picked up her scent once more, "So you want to play huh? That's fine by me."

Kagome ran almost blindly through the forest, trying to make her way to a cave that Inuyasha had shown her earlier. After what seemed like an eternity later the cave finally came into view and she ran inside, heading to the back where a small room was hidden behind a wall of cloth. She ran inside the room and tried to catch her breath as she looked around. The room was small but comfortable, there was a small bed and a pit for a fire, in the roof of the cave was a large hole where the moonlight shone down into the room, giving it a mysterious yet beautiful silver glow. She could see clearly in the moonlight and was relieved to find that Sesshomaru hadn't followed her.

She didn't know what was going on but she hoped she didn't have to find out, she just had to wait in this cave until morning then she could go find Inuyasha and put this whole night behind her. Kagome sighed and took a step back to lean against the wall to rest but instead of feeling the cool stone against her back she felt a warm body. She screamed and jumped back, her eyes going wide with fear at the man she saw before her as he chuckled darkly, "going somewhere human?"

Kagome tried to run but Sesshomaru was next to her in a second, holding her arm in an iron grip as he pulled her against him. She struggled to get away from the demon lord but he was far too strong and she knew that he wasn't even trying to hold her and that fact frightened her beyond any reason. She tried stomping his foot but he simply looked at her as if she had tapped him, "it's no use trying to get away from this Sesshomaru, anywhere you go I will find you, your scent is strong with fear and that is very easy for me to detect."

"Let me go!" she screamed as she pounded her fists into his chest.

"No, you are mine tonight girl."

Sesshomaru leaned down and crushed his mouth to hers, biting and licking at her lips to try and gain entrance but Kagome's instincts kicked in and she brought her knee up into his groin as hard as she could. He groaned in pain and let her go as the air was forced out of his lungs. Kagome ran to the entrance but was stopped before she could even put her foot outside the cloth when a strong hand grabbed her wrist and jerked her back. She was spun around with dizzying speed and found herself lying on her back on the small bed. Before she could move to get away Sesshomaru was on top of her, pinning her wrists down above her head while he straddled her hips and sat on her flailing knees to prevent her from hitting him again.

In the back of her mind Kagome realized that Sesshomaru had her wrists pinned with two hands instead of one and she silently wondered where he'd gotten the other arm as she struggled against him.

Sesshomaru growled in his throat as his eyes tinted red with anger, causing Kagome to freeze in fear as he snarled and bared his wickedly sharp fangs to her, "don't do that again human or you will regret it understand?"

She nodded and turned her head away when Sesshomaru leaned down to try and claim her lips once more, struggling against the much larger demon the best she could. He shook his head at her, "stop your struggles girl you can't get away from me."

Kagome felt tears spring to her eyes as he leaned down to place heated kisses along her throat, "stop… let me go, Sesshomaru…" she whimpered.

Sesshomaru didn't answer instead he started nipping at the nape of her neck, earning a soft moan from the young miko as she tried to squirm away from his questing mouth. It felt strange to her, the feeling of his tongue and fangs against her throat felt so good but at the same time it disgusted her. The demon lord pulled back to gaze down at her and smiled at the fire that burned within her deep brown eyes, "are you going to stop fighting this Sesshomaru now?"

Kagome growled softly and tried to bite him getting a chuckle from the silver haired demon, "your choice human."

Sesshomaru moved her hands farther above her head to hold them in one strong hand as his free hand ventured down her throat to her breast, cupping the mound through her shirt and squeezing lightly. Kagome gasped as she felt his hands on her, wiggling to try and get away from those hands but what she didn't realize was that the more she struggled the more she rubbed against his hardening member, sending shivers of pleasure running through him as he held her still. His mouth ventured down to her collar bone where he place light kisses to her heated skin but this time he didn't hear anything from the small human beneath him.

He looked up at her and saw that she was biting her lip to keep silent, apparently figuring out that he enjoyed her reactions to his touch. He tried suckling on her nape again but only received a shiver from her as she managed to keep herself from whimpering or moaning. Sesshomaru felt a slight tinge of anger at her defiance but amusement at the same time, she had a strong will that he had to give her but he wasn't going to stand for silence from his lover. Once more his mouth found the junction of her neck and shoulder and bit down hard with his fangs, earning himself a cry of pain from Kagome as she started struggling against him once more, "Ow! Stop Sesshomaru… you're hurting me!"

"I wouldn't have to hurt you if you would simply cooperate with me… Kagome was it?"

"I don't want to cooperate with you!"

"So be it then, this will continue until you do."

Without another word Sesshomaru used his claws to cut away her clothing and Kagome was relieved when he paused to look at her undergarments; she was glad she'd worn them today. But instead of searching for the clasp of her bra he simply cut through it with his claw and removed the shredded fabric from her body, leaving her open to his hungry gaze. His hand came up to cup her breast once more, his thumb and forefinger toying with her nipple until it became taut.

Kagome felt tears spring to her eyes again as his ministrations continued, _"This isn't right… this isn't Inuyasha!"_ she thought miserably as her struggles ceased.

Against her will she began to sob softly as she pleaded with her captor, "please stop Sesshomaru… please let me go… I… I don't want you…"

Sesshomaru halted his attentions and looked down at her, his golden eyes holding a hidden emotion she had never seen before. He searched her face and for the first time that night he felt a slight twinge of guilt as he watched the silver tears stream down her beautiful face. All of the sudden he felt the urge to comfort the girl and he looked down at the bite on her neck, wincing mentally at the blood there. Kagome continued to whimper softly as he leaned down and kissed her lightly on the lips, "don't cry Kagome, if you listen to me you will like this."

"No… you're not Inuyasha… I don't want you…"

"True I'm not Inuyasha but I'm the one here with you now, where is he?"

Kagome didn't answer him and he took that as a sign to continue, "that half-breed brother of mine has never touched you like this, has he Kagome?"

"None of your business!"

Sesshomaru smiled when he saw a bit of the fire return to her eyes and he rested his forehead on hers, "if you would simply stop resisting this Sesshomaru and let him touch you it would be more pleasurable for both of us. Despite what you believe I really don't want to hurt you."

"Could've fooled me."

Sesshomaru leaned into her and began to lap at the blood on her neck, getting a pleasant shiver from her as he released her hands. He sat up and took Kagome with him, changing their position to where she was straddling his lap. His hands moved to find her wrists once more and manipulated them behind her back where he held them with a clawed hand as the other reached up to ball her hair in his fist. He pulled her head back to reveal her throat to him and he licked along the pale column, enjoying the soft coo Kagome let slip past her lips.

Kagome tried wiggling a bit to get away but for some reason her body didn't really want to move anymore, his touch felt wonderful but it wasn't her love and she didn't want it… did she? She sat still for a moment and paid attention to his mouth, finding that she enjoyed the feeling of his fangs grazing lightly against her skin before he suckled on the bite to soothe it. He found a particularly sensitive tangle of nerves just below her ear and she moaned, unconsciously arching into him and he smirked, keeping his mouth to that spot as his tongue and teeth assaulted her delicate flesh.

"Let me go… please stop…" she asked one last time, the last of her fighting spirit leaving her as she realized that he wasn't going to let her go.

Sesshomaru stopped the attack on her neck and he gazed into her tear filled eyes for a moment before he released her hair and moved his hand to her face. Kagome gasped and turned away, fearful he was going to strike her but instead of feeling the sharp sting of his hand she felt his palm rest on her cheek, his thumb lightly stroking her, "This Sesshomaru is not going to hurt you. Just relax and you will enjoy this."

"But… you're not my Inuyasha…"

"No, but I will prove to you that I am better than that half-breed if you'll allow me."

Kagome finally gave into him and he let her lean into his body, allowing her to lay her head on his shoulder and cry softly into his haori. He ran his claws lightly down her back, careful not to draw blood as he nipped at her shoulder. Soon her sobs ceased and he pulled her back to lick her cheeks, wiping away the last few tears with his tongue, "are you ready to accept this Sesshomaru now?"

Kagome nodded slightly and he claimed her lips with his own in a passionate kiss as he gently pushed her back onto the bedding. She didn't resist him this time as his lips danced against hers. She was surprised by the sudden tenderness of his kiss, the last time his lips met hers he was cruel and harsh but now he was soft and careful as if afraid he would hurt her, which didn't seem like Sesshomaru but she wasn't going to complain about it.

Sesshomaru ran the tip of his tongue along her bottom lip and pushed against her mouth, silently asking for entrance inside. Kagome responded this time and parted her lips to let his tongue slip inside and meet with hers. He kissed her greedily as if he were a man dying of hunger, nibbling and suckling on her lower lip and exploring every inch of her sweet cavern until she whimpered into his mouth.

Several minutes later the need for air forced him to pull away from the kiss and he leaned down to place chaste kisses along her jaw down to her shoulder, receiving a sigh from the woman underneath him. Sesshomaru lifted himself from her body and began to remove his clothing, feeling Kagome's curious gaze on him as he disrobed in front of her. Once he was undressed he returned to her, laying his full body weight on the slight human as he placed a kiss to her parted lips. He moved off of her just enough to run his clawed hands up and down her sides, causing her to shiver from the slight touch.

Kagome gasped when she felt his calloused hands glide over her body. They were rougher than Inuyasha's most likely from his many more years of sword practice but she didn't mind them as she had before, she actually enjoyed his touch this time. She reached up and laid her hands against his chest and lightly ran her nails down his front, getting a low growl from the taiyoukai. Startled, Kagome pulled her hands away, afraid she'd done something to upset him but Sesshomaru simply chuckled, "you can touch this Sesshomaru, he doesn't mind."

"But… you growled at me."

He smiled and nipped her shoulder, "because I liked it, you didn't hurt me, you needn't be afraid of this Sesshomaru."

Kagome nodded and put her hands back on his chest, feeling the solid strength of his muscles underneath his flawless, moon colored flesh. Sesshomaru moved his mouth down to her chest, capturing a rosy colored peak between his teeth before suckling on it gently. His hand moved to up her body to cup her other breast, rolling the neglected nipple between his thumb and forefinger.

Kagome gasped and arched upwards into him, feeling a strange heat pooling in the pit of her stomach and between her thighs. Sesshomaru switched his mouth to her other breast and repeated his ministrations until Kagome was moaning and writhing in pleasure beneath him. His mouth trailed down her body to her stomach, tracing his name with his tongue before briefly darting it into her navel. Sesshomaru traveled further down to her legs nipping lightly at her thighs, being careful to avoid her core as he moved back up her body.

Kagome whimpered, "S… Sesshomaru… I feel strange…"

"Where?" he asked as he laid his hand on her stomach, "here?"

She shook her head and his hand moved lower to cup her patch of dark curls, "here?"

"Y… yes…"

Sesshomaru smirked at the expression on her face, a beautiful combination of shock and pleasure and he found that he liked that look on her. He slowly ran his fingers over her womanhood, marveling at the wetness he found there, "well, well, it seems that you are enjoying what this Sesshomaru is doing to you."

Kagome flushed, knowing what he meant but she didn't have time to respond as his hand began to move over her, sending jolts of pleasure coursing through her body. The demon lord moved his hand away from her and gazed down at her lust filled eyes with his blazing golden ones, "part your legs, Kagome."

She silently did as he asked and parted her legs slightly allowing him enough space to place his knee between her thighs, spreading her even wider. His hand returned to her and slowly, being careful of his claw, Sesshomaru slid one of his fingers into her body, causing her to moan at the new sensation. He began to move his finger in and out of her in small circles, teasing her with a sensuously slow rhythm. He continued this until Kagome began to buck her hips against his hand then he inserted another finger into her, stretching her tight passage.

Kagome gasped and arched her back, causing his fingers to go deeper into her. Sesshomaru smirked as Kagome reached up and grabbed the back of his neck, bringing him down to her to kiss him hungrily as he continued to thrust his fingers in and out of her with that slow, sweet, torturous pace. The scent of her arousal spiked and he could tell that she was close to her climax, feeling her walls clamp around his fingers as he began to move his hand faster within her.

Sesshomaru's thumb came up to search for the bud of her pleasure that he knew would drive her over the edge and found it within seconds, rubbing it with rough, short circles. Kagome broke the kiss and cried out, moaning his name as he continued to pleasure her with his skilled fingers. Soon after that she felt a strange feeling build within her that threatened to consume her and she fought against that feeling, unsure of what it was. Sesshomaru chuckled at this and increased his pace, forcing a scream of pleasure from Kagome as her release consumed her being, causing her body to shake violently with the force of her orgasm.

Kagome was in such a daze from the pleasure she just experienced that she didn't really notice when Sesshomaru's fingers left her body. She felt lips brush against her eyelids and she opened her pleasure hazed eyes to look up at the man those lips belonged to. She looked down and realized that Sesshomaru had moved to rest his body between her legs, his member gently brushing against her core as he rested his weight on his strong forearms, "are you ready, Kagome?"

Kagome nodded and Sesshomaru pushed his hips forward, slowly easing himself into her until he reached her maiden barrier. He leaned down and captured her lips in a heated kiss as his hand once again found the jewel of her pleasure, stroking it with his thumb until she was moaning into his mouth. He continued this until he felt her muscles clench around him as her second climax hit her then he thrust forward, breaking her virgin barrier in once swift thrust, burying himself to the hilt in her velvety warmth.

Kagome gasped against his lips as a few tears trickled down her cheeks, feeling the slight pain that breaking her barrier had brought. Sesshomaru groaned from the wonderful sensation of being encased in her tight sheath but forced himself to hold still within her as he let her body adjust to him, not wanting to cause her anymore pain. A few minutes later she started to move against him and he began a slow rhythm, moving in and out of her in short shallow thrusts.

Soon Kagome was raising her hips to meet his thrusts, gasping and whimpering in pleasure as she wrapped her arms around him, "Faster! Sesshomaru… faster!"

Sesshomaru gladly obliged and began to thrust into her fast and harder until they were both moaning and shivering in pleasure. Human nails raked across tough demon skin, demon claws dug into delicate human flesh as their climaxes neared. Sesshomaru paused for only a second as he took her knee in his hand and placed her leg on his shoulder. The new angle caused him to thrust deeper into her, earning cries and coos from the young miko.

"S… Sesshomaru! I'm… I'm going… to… ah! Sesshomaru!"

Kagome screamed his name, her nails digging into his back hard enough to draw blood as the powerful orgasm ripped through her body. When Sesshomaru felt the combination of her walls tightening around him and her nails dragging across his skin he lost it. He growled deep in his chest and thrust into her a few more times before his own release consumed him, slamming into her once more and releasing his seed into her welcoming body.

Moments later the last of their pleasure dissipated into a wonderful, dull throb and Sesshomaru collapsed on top of Kagome, breathing against her ear for a short time until he regained control, "See? That wasn't so bad… was it human?"

Kagome smiled to herself too tired to speak her answer. He whispered something to her but she didn't hear it as the darkness claimed her.

"Kagome! Kagome! Wake up!"

Kagome awoke with a start as she felt someone roughly shaking her shoulder and she shot up to meet a pair of golden eyes, "'bout time you woke up, what time did you go to bed?"

She looked around and realized she was in her room not in the cave in the forest and there was no sign of Sesshomaru. She sighed and smiled at the angry hanyu, "sorry Inuyasha, I guess I was just tired."

"Well get up we gotta go, Miroku and Sango are waitin' for us."

"I'm coming just let me get changed."

Inuyasha nodded and headed to the door but Kagome called out to him and stopped him, "Wait Inuyasha!"

"What?" he asked in his usual arrogant tone, not bothering to turn around and look at her.

"Come here."

"Why should I?" he challenged bravely.

Kagome smiled, "Inuyasha! Come here boy!"

The enchanted beads began to glow softly and Inuyasha jumped over to her, sitting on her bed in front of her before he could stop himself. Once he realized what he was doing he flushed with anger, "why did you do that! Isn't it bad enough that I have to 'sit' for you all the time?"

"I just wanted to tell you something."

"What's that?"

Before he could move Kagome leaned up to him and pressed her lips to his, causing the hot headed young man to gasp before he returned the kiss in full. Kagome pulled away from him and smiled, "I love you, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha flushed ever so slightly and Kagome looked to her bed, a nervous giggle escaping her, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that."

"No you shouldn't have."

Kagome felt her heart sink into her feet at his words; she should've known that he didn't care for her in that way. That's why she had kissed him in the first place, she simply wanted to know after her dream last night, she just had to find out if he loved her as she did him and now she knew he didn't. Her fears vanished when she felt a clawed hand grip her chin, lifting her gaze up to meet tender golden eyes as he whispered gently to her, "I wanted to be the one to kiss you."

Inuyasha pulled her to him and kissed her tenderly on the mouth, getting a contented sigh from the young girl as she kissed him back. The need for air forced them to part several minutes later and he smiled at her, "now come on you stupid girl, we've gotta go."

Kagome silently watched him leave her room then an evil smile curved her lips upwards as she heard him heading down the hall, "sit boy!"

She couldn't help but giggle when she heard him shout and crash to the floor followed shortly by a soft, "damn you, Kagome!"

She laughed and got up to get dressed, the images of her and Sesshomaru flashing through her mind as she slipped her shirt on over her head, _"so it was all just a dream? It felt so real… oh well, it's not like it will ever really happen. That's the last time I eat before I go to bed."_

Kagome quickly brushed her hair out and started heading out the door but as she tossed her hair over her shoulder something caught her attention. She looked carefully in the mirror at her reflection and gasped in shock, for there on her throat where her neck met her shoulder was a bright red marking that was clearly left by two, sharp demon fangs.

**_That's all folks! This is a one-shot so don't expect another chapter anytime soon unless you just seriously want me to write one then I may consider making it longer, but as of right now it's a one-shot. I apologize is Sesshomaru is a little OOC, I tried really hard. Any ways, hope you liked it, thanks for reading!_**


	2. Chapter 2

**_Sorry about the last chapter, it didn't work out the way it was supposed to. Any ways, this chapter is very similar to the last one except at the end… well you'll see, just read on and ignore my chatter :)._**

Kagome let out a tired sigh and rested her head onto her knees. She, Inuyasha and the rest of the gang had been battling demons and looking for jewel shards all day but they hadn't found a single one. The only thing they managed to find was some injuries after the battles had ended. All day long she had thought about her dream and whether it had really happened or was just her imagination. Sango had noticed the marking on her neck but didn't say anything in front of the boys, which Kagome appreciated greatly. The last thing she wanted was to have to explain her dream to the lecherous monk or her hot tempered Inuyasha. If he found out she was having sexual dreams about his older brother there's no telling what he would do to her… or to Sesshomaru whenever they met up again.

Kagome tried to come up with excuses as to how she'd gotten the marking in the first place and she finally concluded that Inuyasha must have done it when they were playing around a few days before and she just hadn't noticed it before. He tended to get a little rough once in awhile when they rough-housed, forgetting that she was a delicate human and not a strong demon. And he had nipped her once before when they were playing, she had pinned him and he bite her shoulder to get her off of him so that had to be it.

Throughout the day, when they weren't fighting, Kagome had continually pulled her collar up trying to hide the mark but by noon it was starting to vanish, much to her relief. Now that it was dusk the bite was hardly noticeable physically but the memory of how it supposedly got there was still so very vivid in her mind. She could still feel Sesshomaru's hands gliding over her body, using his teeth and fingers to pleasure her. Even though it was a dream she could remember how he felt against her and how he…

Kagome mentally slapped herself when she felt her face and body begin to heat up at the memory and pushed it all into the back of her mind, looking out the window at the approaching rain clouds instead. She was taking a break at Kaede's hut waiting for Inuyasha to come back. He had left a couple of hours ago to go and get something to eat but he hadn't returned yet and she was starting to get worried that he would get caught out in the rain. Kagome smiled, imagining her white-haired hanyu soaked head to toe, his clothes and hair sticking to his slim body as water dripped from his sleeves and his cute puppy ears. She had seen him that way once and it wasn't a pleasant event to witness. He had cursed and grumbled all night long even after he had dried off, "I HATE being wet!" he said over and over, not wanting to talk about how he'd gotten that way.

Thunder sounding off in the distance brought her back to the present and she sighed, "I should go look for him."

Kagome grabbed her bow and arrow and headed out into the woods with her flashlight, calling out into the deepening darkness, "Inuyasha! Inuyasha where are you!"

She continued her search for nearly an hour and found no sign of him anywhere, she was beginning to believe that he had already returned to the hut or had found some other type of shelter to beat the rain. Either way she wanted to make sure that he was alright, "Inuyasha!"

"Kagome! Over here!"

Kagome headed off in the direction the cry came from and found herself near the creek that had been in her dream. She quickly shook the thought from her mind and called out again, "Where are you, Inuyasha?"

"Up here!"

She looked up and started giggling at the sight before her. Caught in the branches above her head was a red faced, growling hanyu hanging upside down as if he were a bat. Around his arms and legs were numerous vines and branches that had entangled themselves around his form, preventing him from using his claws to cut through them and free himself. Kagome glanced at him again and tried to keep from laughing at the sight but that was becoming very difficult as Inuyasha's face turned a deeper shade of red from embarrassment, "Don't you say a word, Kagome."

Upon hearing that comment she lost what little restraint she had and busted up laughing, getting a snarl from him, "Shut up Kagome! This isn't funny!"

"I'm sorry but… how did you get stuck like that?"

"I don't know! I was trying to jump down and I got stuck!"

"Why didn't you call out for help?"

"And risk getting Sesshomaru or some other demon? No thanks!"

"So you'd rather stay pinned up there in the tree rather than swallow that enormous ego of yours and ask for help?"

"Damn straight! But you're here now so get me down from here!"

Kagome felt her mean streak take over her and she grinned evilly at him, "Say please."

"Kagome…" he warned with a soft growl.

"Alright, don't move."

She took out one of her arrows and shot it at the vines, instantly cutting him lose and sending him crashing to the ground with a loud thud. Kagome ran to him and helped him up, still giggling slightly, "Are you alright, Inuyasha?"

Without warning Inuyasha grabbed her arm and raised his other hand to place it over her mouth, bringing his face down until their noses were touching. His golden eyes sparkled with hidden promise and his blush began to fade as he whispered harshly to her, "if you tell anyone about this I will kill you, got it!"

Kagome nodded and he let her go, shooting her a glare when she let out one final giggle, "you enjoyed that, didn't you?"

"Oh yes… ah!"

A loud crash of thunder startled her and she jumped slightly as Inuyasha quickly sniffed the air, "the storm's really close, we're not gonna make it back to the hut. Come on, I know where we can hide from the rain."

Inuyasha knelt down and let Kagome climb on his back before he took off in a dead sprint as big fat rain drops began to slam down on them. It didn't take long before the light drizzle became a raging downpour but luckily Inuyasha was fast enough to get them inside a cave before they got completely soaked. Once they were inside he let her off his back and shook the water from his hair, "that was fun."

Kagome looked up at him and laughed at the way his hair had puffed out, jutting out in all different directions at once. When his hair looked like that he reminded her of the fluff that Sesshomaru wore on his shoulder and that's what he looked like right now. Inuyasha apparently sensed what she was thinking and he gave her a gentle push towards the back of the cave, "I know what you're thinking and no I don't. Just shut up and go."

Kagome obeyed and let him lead her to the back of the cave then a strange feeling of de-ja-vu washed over her as they went behind a wall of cloth. She tried to look around at her surroundings but the lack of moonlight made it pitch black inside the small haven and she couldn't even see two feet in front of her, "Where are you, Inuyasha?"

"Over here just stay where you are until I get the fire started."

A few minutes later they had a good fire going and they sat side by side next to it, trying to keep warm as they listened to the rain pouring down outside, "Do you think it will let up soon?" Kagome asked softly.

"Not anytime soon from the looks of it. I think we're stuck here until morning."

"Oh…"

They were silent for awhile after that, just enjoying the warmth the fire brought to them as it eliminated the rain-chill from their bodies. Kagome looked up at Inuyasha and gasped slightly at the sight of him, the light from the fire danced gracefully over his form illuminating his face and making him appear ethereal. He looked so handsome and she was tempted to reach out and touch him to see if he was real or not but she managed to stop herself and just leaned against his shoulder instead.

Seconds later she felt his arm wrap around her and pull her closer to him before he rested his head on top of hers. She sighed and snuggled against him, greatly enjoying the feeling of being this close to her love. This was what she had always wanted and now it was coming true. Out of nowhere a thought suddenly came to her mind and she remembered that morning when she had kissed him. He seemed to enjoy it but she wasn't entirely sure and she just had to know, "Hey Inuyasha?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you angry with me?"

"For what, Kagome?"

"For this morning… when I kissed you?"

"No, you surprised me but I'm not angry at you. Why would you think I would be?"

"I don't know, I guess I'm just insecure about us just yet, sorry."

"It's ok."

Kagome looked to the fire and watched the flames perform their beautiful, mesmerizing dance for awhile before she looked around the cave and recognition donned on her as she finally realized where she was. It was the same cave from her dream, bed and all and she couldn't help but remember what had happened in that room… on that bed. Kagome glanced at the bedding and could picture herself laying across it with the demon lord hovering above her, his mouth traveling over her body as he pinned her wrists above her head. A flush spread all the way from her cheeks down to her breasts as she tried to forget about the dream but for some reason being in the cave made it very difficult. Part of her expected Sesshomaru to appear as he had in the dream and that thought made her very uneasy and being this close to Inuyasha only made it worse.

She unconsciously reached up and clutched Inuyasha's robe, pulling him closer to her as if she could evaporate into him and leave this place. Inuyasha looked down at her and nudged her slightly, "what's wrong?"

"Huh? Nothing why?"

"Something's bothering you. Your scent changes when you worry so tell me what's going on."

"You don't want to know, trust me."

"Tell me or else, Kagome."

Kagome looked up and stared bravely into his amber colored eyes with her deep brown ones, challenging him, "or else what, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha didn't answer he just glared at her and Kagome sighed and turned her gaze to the fire, unable to look him in the face as she began to explain, "I had a strange dream last night."

"About what?"

"I was in the forest and I went to the creek to get a drink then I went back to the camp-site to wait for you. Then Sesshomaru came and he…"

"He what Kagome?"

Kagome felt her blush grow deeper as she began to remember the full details of her dream but she couldn't possibly tell Inuyasha about that… he would hate her for sure. Maybe she should just stay quiet and he wouldn't pry further, he wouldn't actually force her to tell him what was truly bothering her… would he? No such luck though, before she could delve further into her mind Inuyasha rested his hand on her shoulder, bringing her back to the situation at hand, "tell me what happened, Kagome, please."

She sighed and raised her knees to her chest, burying her face into her forearms to hide from his intense gaze, "in my dream he… made me… he made me…

Kagome paused and her flush deepened in color, causing Inuyasha to lose his temper at her silence, "What did he make you do, Kagome, just spit it out already!"

"He… made me have… sex with him…"

Inuyasha's eyes immediately flashed red at that comment, "What! Did this really happen! Did he really hurt you!"

Kagome sensed his energy rise suddenly and she could tell that he was about to call upon his demon strength. She looked up at him and shook her head, trying to comfort him, "No it didn't really happen."

Inuyasha stared directly into her eyes with such intensity that she had to look away… she never could stand that accusing glare of his. With a sigh she got up and walked to stand in front of the bed, a slight shiver escaping her as she turned her gaze to the ground, "It was only a dream but… it felt so real that… I thought it had really happened… Sesshomaru has never touched me, Inuyasha so please don't get angry."

Inuyasha's eyes slowly returned to normal and he stared at her back for a moment before his soft but stern voice reached her ears, "you're sure? You're not just saying that so I won't go and kill him are you?"

"No, if he had touched me I would tell you. But… that's what's been bothering me today. I… keep remembering the dream even though I don't want to. I'm sorry Inuyasha… if you never want to speak to me again I understand."

Inuyasha was silent for several long moments after that, musing over all the information he'd just received. As time dragged on Kagome's eyes began to well up with tears as despair grabbed at her heart, _"oh no… I blew it! I just got together with him and I've already driven him away with my stupid dreams! Why did I have to…"_

Kagome's fears vanished when she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her and pull her against a warm body behind her. Inuyasha leaned down to her and she could feel his hot breath wafting against her ear as he whispered to her, "Don't be sorry, if it was only a dream then there's nothing to worry about. You're safe with me Kagome. I won't let anyone touch you, especially not my brother."

"I know I'm safe with you it's just that… I thought that if I told you about my dream then you would… be disgusted with me."

"You didn't really have sex with him did you?"

"Of course not!"

"Then there's no reason for me to get all pissy about it. Now if he had touched you then I'd go and tare his throat out but since you're unharmed and it was only a dream then I'm alright with it. It's normal to have dreams like that… although I do find it weird that you dreamt of Sesshomaru."

"I honestly don't know why I dreamt of Sesshomaru, but believe me I don't want Sesshomaru… I never have… I want you, Inuyasha."

Kagome gasped when she realized what she'd just said and she pulled away from Inuyasha to go and sit by the fire, being careful to avoid his gaze, "sorry… I shouldn't have said anything, just forget what you just heard."

"I can't do that, you said exactly what I wanted to hear."

"What's that?"

Inuyasha went up and knelt in front of her, using a clawed hand to lift her chin up to meet his eyes as a gentle smile spread across his lips, "that you want me…"

Before Kagome could react Inuyasha pulled her to him and pressed his lips against hers for a tender, loving kiss. She sighed against him and returned the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck as she got up on her knees, making it easier for him to reach her. The feeling of his lips brushing over hers sent a shiver of delight coursing through her body, he was soft and gentle but at the same time he was passionate and fierce and she couldn't help but melt against him as the kiss progressed.

Inuyasha's hand came up to cup the back of her head and he tilted her head back to deepen the kiss. Kagome buried her hands into his long silver mane and pulled him closer to her as he suckled on her bottom lip lightly. Sheresponded to his silent request and parted her lips for him so he could slip his tongue inside to meet with hers. All their passion seemed to explode out of the dam that they had put up around themselves for so long as they kissed one another hungrily, putting everything they had in just that simple gesture as if it were the last thing they would be able to do. Inuyasha explored her sweet mouth for what seemed like an eternity but at the same time only a few seconds until his lungs screamed for him to stop and breathe.

He rested his nose against hers for a moment to catch his breath, smiling mischievously at her before he reached down and scooped her up into his arms, causing her to cry out with surprise as he carried her to the bed and laid her gently across it. Kagome felt a small bit of fear creep into her stomach as she realized where she was but that fear lessened when Inuyasha moved to lay over her, capturing her mouth for another heated kiss.

Her hands came up to clutch at his robe once more as she tried to arch into him but he put his full weight on her and prevented her from doing so. As their tongues fought a loving battle with one another his hand drifted up to her shoulder, pushing her shirt to the side to reveal a small bit of her pale flesh. When it wouldn't go down any further his hands traveled to the front her shirt and found the buttons there, slowly undoing them one at a time until they were all unfastened.

Kagome suddenly became nervous and brought her arms up to cover herself, feeling young and unattractive as if she didn't deserve his attention. Inuyasha leaned down and began placing hot, wet kisses along her throat, getting a moan from her as she unconsciously arched into him, sending a jolt of electricity running through the hanyu. He took her wrists and pinned them on either side of her head and fear once more threatened to engulf her as she remembered how Sesshomaru had pinned her in her dream. Then suddenly, in her mind's eye, it wasn't Inuyasha that was touching her but his older brother instead. Panic began to take over her senses and she started struggling against his touch, "Inu… Inuyasha…"

"Hmm…"

"Please stop! Let me go!"

Inuyasha immediately pulled away from her and gazed down at her with confused golden eyes, "What's wrong?"

"I… I can't do this… not now…"

"Because of your dream right?"

Kagome flushed and looked away from him, telling him everything he needed to know without words. Inuyasha sighed and moved off of her entirely, allowing her to sit up, "was I hurting you?" he asked worriedly.

"No, I just… got scared all of the sudden, I'm sorry I…"

Inuyasha placed a hand to her lips to silence her and gave her a slight, understanding smile, "it's ok I'll wait. I don't want to force you."

Kagome smiled and kissed his cheek tenderly, "thank you, Inuyasha, you're sweet when you want to be."

"Yeah and besides, I can always molest you in your sleep if nothing else."

Kagome took his joke the wrong way and shot him a glare that would kill if it were possible then a soft smile curved her lips upwards as she shouted, "Sit boy!"

Inuyasha ungracefully flopped onto his face and Kagome giggled, earning a glare from him as he got up and dusted himself off, "thanks for the warning!"

"Anytime… what was that?"

A noise on the other side of the cloth caught her attention and Inuyasha sniffed the air before letting out a soft growl, "someone else is here."

"Who is it?"

"I don't know, stay here Kagome."

Inuyasha quickly headed to the front of the cave, hand grasping the hilt of his Tetseiga just in case he needed it. When he reached the entrance he couldn't find anyone there but he could smell their presence lingering in the air, _"apparently they decided to just brave the storm, oh well. As long as they're the ones getting wet and not me I don't care."_

Inuyasha headed back to Kagome and she stood up to greet him, "who was it?"

"Don't know they left."

"Oh… did you recognize the scent?"

"It seemed familiar but the rain messes with my sense of smell so I can't be sure."

Kagome nodded and watched as Inuyasha went to check on the fire. She started to re-button her shirt but the sound of her bow and arrow crashing to the floor alerted her attention to the entrance of the room. She could see the cloth rustling but she thought it to be the wind as she set her bow and arrow back up against the wall. After setting her weapon aside she raised her arms over her head and stretched, arching her back to get the kink out of her spine. As she was leaning back she came in contact with something warm and hard and she sat straight up and turned around slowly, letting out a scream as she met a pair of bright golden eyes.

**_Hope this chapter is better than the last one, and hopefully this one didn't cause any confusion. I appreciate everyone who pointed out the screw up I created with the previous attempt and I apologize again for that bad chapter :). Chapter 3 is in the works and should be up in a couple of days so stay tuned!_**


	3. Chapter 3

Sesshomaru had tried to get back to Jaken and Rin before the rain started but the demons that had tried to fight him had slowed him down a great deal. As the rain began to pour down he ducked into a space between two cliffs and waited until the rain let up then he took off once more. He had gone out looking for something to get his mind off of the heat that was slowly taking over him again but the only thing he found was a few fights from a bunch of weak, pathetic demons. As he headed back his mind began to wander and he couldn't help but muse over the day's events.

That morning when they were traveling the wind had carried Rin's scent to him and even though it was pleasing it didn't entice him as much as it had before for some reason. He had glanced back at her several times during the journey but he didn't have the urge to ravish her as he once had and that surprised him. He had always wanted Rin so why would his mind and heart change so suddenly? Then it hit him he knew why he was suddenly acting this way, it was because of that girl Kagome.

Ever since the other night he couldn't stop thinking about the dark haired human and how she had felt against him. He could still feel her slight form pressed firmly into his chest, he could still smell her and taste her on his lips, he could still hear her soft coos and whimpers as she whispered his name in pleasure. Sesshomaru felt his stomach tighten with excitement as he remembered every little detail about her but his thoughts were cut short as the rain began to pour down on him again, _"Darn, I'm not going to make it back without getting soaked, I need to find shelter until this rain lets up."_

Sesshomaru spotted a cave a few feet away from him and he jumped inside, shaking the water from his clothing. As he was ringing out his long hair a familiar scent reached his nose but he couldn't be entirely sure of who it was. Water was one of the only things that drastically affected his keen sense of smell and since he'd been in the rain his nose couldn't pin point who was in the cave with him. He heard someone coming towards him and he ducked behind one of the boulders near the entrance, his eyes going wide slightly when he caught a glimpse of his visitor.

It was Inuyasha, he could tell because the bright flash of lightening illuminated his form and there was no mistaking that hair or those ears, _"So he's hiding out from the rain as well, is he? I wonder if I can…"_

Before Sesshomaru could do anything to torment his brother he headed to the back of the cave and Sesshomaru followed silently, hearing another voice on the other side of the cloth wall, "who was it?"

"Don't know they left." He heard Inuyasha say

"Oh… did you recognize the scent?"

"It seemed familiar but the rain messes with my sense of smell so I can't be sure."

Sesshomaru's eyes widened slightly as the second voice registered in his mind, _"I know that voice."_

He pulled a corner of the cloth back and saw Kagome standing near the bed as she watched Inuyasha poke at the fire. He looked closely and saw that her shirt was unbuttoned and he began to see red as he realized what must have been going on between the two of them, _"Inuyasha's touched her! Wait… why do I care? I shouldn't feel anything for this human… I only took her because she was available why does it suddenly matter to me that she and Inuyasha were together?"_

Kagome began to re-button her shirt and Sesshomaru unconsciously took a step towards her, knocking over her bow and arrow that sat near the entrance. He quickly ducked back behind the cloth and heard Kagome's soft footsteps as she came to pick up her weapon. He pulled the cloth back and glanced at her, she was only a few inches away from him and at this distance her scent was very strong and inviting even to his wet nose. The fire in his stomach spread to his loins as she turned around to stretch, revealing her cloth covered breasts to him.

Sesshomaru couldn't take it anymore, he had to be near her and with that thought in mind he stepped into the room and stood behind her. She arched backwards to stretch further and he intended to put his arms around her but when her fingers brushed against his chest she gasped and sat up, turning around to face him. When she met his eyes she let out a scream and jumped back away from him and he couldn't help but flinch at the shrill sound. He hated it when women cried or screamed like that, it hurt his sensitive ears.

Inuyasha heard Kagome scream and looked up, letting out a snarl when he saw his older brother standing a few feet from her, "What the hell are you doing here, Sesshomaru!"

"I didn't mean to frighten the girl this Sesshomaru simply came in here to hide out from the rain."

"Well go find somewhere else to hide out, Kagome and I were here first!"

"This Sesshomaru does not take orders from anyone, especially not a half-breed like you."

Inuyasha growled, "Shut up! Just get out of here and leave us alone!"

Sesshomaru smirked slightly at his anger, "why? I have every right to be here as much as you do, Inuyasha. I mean it isn't as though you two are doing something inappropriate, are you?"

Sesshomaru looked over at Kagome and let his eyes travel over her front, pausing at her breasts briefly before meeting her eyes. Kagome flushed brightly and turned away from him to close her shirt and Sesshomaru couldn't help but smile even as Inuyasha gripped his sword, "I saw that! Don't get any ideas Sesshomaru, touch Kagome and I'll kill you!"

Sesshomaru turned his molten gaze to the hot headed hanyu and went up to him, grabbing his wrist and pulling it away from the Tetseiga, "This Sesshomaru has no intention of harming the girl, and besides, if that was my original objective then why would I do it with you in plain sight?"

"I don't know, because you're sick!"

Sesshomaru smirked and raised a clawed hand to Inuyasha's throat, "be careful half-breed, this Sesshomaru does not have the patience to deal with your ignorance today. I simply wanted a place to hide from the rain and once it lets up this Sesshomaru will leave, until then I will not harm Kagome."

"You'd better not!" Inuyasha snarled as he jerked his hand away.

He headed over to the fire and sat next to it and Kagome soon followed and sat next to him. Sesshomaru took a seat a few feet away from Kagome and he made it a point to inch closer to her every so often. Kagome noticed this and leaned against Inuyasha's shoulder, missing the fire that sprung into Sesshomaru's normally emotionless eyes as she did so. Soon after that Kagome started to doze off and snuggled closer to Inuyasha. Sesshomaru noticed the change in her breathing and spoke softly so as to not awaken her, "It appears that Kagome is asleep."

Inuyasha glanced down at her and put his arm around her, pulling her closer when he noticed Sesshomaru glancing her way, "so it seems."

Sesshomaru held back the growl he felt creeping into his throat and dug his claws into his palm, concentrating on the pain instead of the rage that was beginning to overtake him. A few minutes later he looked at Inuyasha once more and saw that he had fallen asleep, resting his head on top of Kagome's as he snored softly. Sesshomaru snorted at the sight, disgusted by their closeness and he leaned back against the wall, closing his eyes to get some rest as well while he could.

About an hour or so later a scream outside woke the two demons and Inuyasha asked, "What was that?"

"I don't know."

"Go check it out, Sesshomaru."

Sesshomaru closed his eyes and smiled slightly, "I'm not going anywhere, this Sesshomaru does not care if a human gets killed or not, or a demon for that matter."

Inuyasha growled and rolled his eyes, looking at Kagome for a moment before Sesshomaru's voice caught his attention, "you can leave her here, I will not harm her I promise you."

"You'd better not."

Inuyasha gently moved Kagome off of him, being careful not to wake her as he rested her against the wall. He got up and headed to the entrance, giving a sideways glare to Sesshomaru as he did so, "if I find one hair moved on her head I will slit your throat."

Inuyasha left and Sesshomaru couldn't help but chuckle at his younger brother's arrogance, _"You are more than welcome to try, Inuyasha."_

He turned his gaze to the sleeping form a few feet from him and he got up, softly padding over to her to watch her sleep. Even in the dim lighting of the dwindling fire she was beautiful and it was then he realized that he did in fact have some feelings for this human. He remembered the other night when she had called out his name and he couldn't help but feel some pride as he recalled the look of ecstasy on her face as she reached her climax at his hands.

His sweet memory was cut short when Kagome started to fall to the floor but he was next to her in a second and caught her before she hurt herself. He scooped her up into his arms and carried her to the bed, laying her across it before he sat on the edge to gaze down at her sleeping face. Sesshomaru reached out ran his knuckle over her cheek, smiling to himself when she unconsciously leaned into the touch. She turned her head to the side and something on her neck caught his attention. He pushed her hair away from her shoulder and his eyes widened when he saw the marking there. It was very faint, almost invisible but he leaned down close to her and was able to see it, _"Has Inuyasha marked her? No wait… this is my mark… but when did…"_

**Flashback**

His mouth ventured down to her collar bone where he place light kisses to her heated skin but this time he didn't hear anything from the small human beneath him.

He looked up at her and saw that she was biting her lip to keep silent, apparently figuring out that he enjoyed her reactions to his touch. He tried suckling on her nape again but only received a shiver from her as she managed to keep herself from whimpering or moaning. Sesshomaru felt a slight tinge of anger at her defiance but amusement at the same time, she had a strong will that he had to give her but he wasn't going to stand for silence from his lover. Once more his mouth found the junction of her neck and shoulder and bit down hard with his fangs, earning himself a cry of pain from Kagome as she started struggling against him once more, "Ow! Stop Sesshomaru… you're hurting me!"

"I wouldn't have to hurt you if you would simply cooperate with me…"

**End Flashback**

"_Of course… I marked her accidentally when I bit her to get her to react to me… that means that… she's my mate."_

All of the sudden he understood why he had been acting so strangely especially towards Rin. The urge to mate was strong but his bond with Kagome through his marking wouldn't allow his body to betray their joining together. Sesshomaru looked down at the sleeping girl's face and he realized that he had genuine feelings for her even before he had marked her he just wouldn't admit it to himself or to anyone else. The first time he laid eyes on Kagome he felt something deep inside of him but he didn't understand what that feeling was and at the time he didn't want to know what it was. But now he understood and there was no denying that the woman he was sitting beside was his mate and always had been.

Sesshomaru moved some stray hair away from her face and she stirred, opening her eyes to look up at him. She rubbed her eyes to clear her vision and cried out softly when she saw Sesshomaru above her. She sat up and scooted away from him, "S… Sesshomaru…"

"It's nice to see you too."

"W… what're you doing? I thought I was over there!"

"You were but you were about to fall on the floor so I brought you to the bed so you would not hurt yourself."

"W… where is Inuyasha?"

Sesshomaru jerked his thumb to the entrance and Kagome's eyes went wide with shock, "He left!"

"Yes, there was a scream outside and he went to see what it was."

Kagome nodded and dared to look into his eyes but quickly turned away when she met that intense gaze. She pulled her knees up to her chest and tried to calm her breathing, _"I'm alone with Sesshomaru! Calm down Kagome there's nothing to get worked up about... it was just a dream… Sesshomaru would never touch you in real life. Just get a grip…"_

Kagome felt a slight breath on her face and she looked up to see Sesshomaru only an inch away from her face as he whispered, "boo."

She gasped and scooted further away from him, hearing the soft chuckle that escaped his throat as he watched her retreat, "why are you so jumpy, Kagome?"

"I… I'm not… jumpy…"

"You're not?"

Sesshomaru reached over and carefully ran one of his claws down her arm, enjoying the shiver that simple gesture evoked from her, "then what do you call it?"

Kagome flushed, "I… I don't know… I just feel uncomfortable with you being this close."

"Why is that, human?" he asked softly as his hand moved from her arm to trace the outline of her soft leg.

"I… I've never been this close to you and… it makes me nervous…"

"But you have been this close to me before, don't you remember?"

Surprised by his words she looked up into his eyes and felt her blush deepen. Could he read her mind, did he know about the dream she had? If he did know about the dream was he going to make it a reality? Kagome let out a gasp when Sesshomaru's hand came up to run along the length of her neck, getting a whimper from her as she scooted away even more, running into the wall of the cave and giving her nowhere else to go. Sesshomaru followed her and moved to kneel next to her, his hand reaching out to touch her face. She closed her eyes against that touch and tried to move away but she had backed herself into a corner and was now trapped between the cold stone wall of the cave and the warm body of the demon lord. His hand stilled in its ministrations for a moment as he asked, "why do you flinch when this Sesshomaru touches you?"

"Because… I just… don't like it when you touch me."

Sesshomaru smiled and leaned closer to her, inhaling her scent, "your scent tells me otherwise, I can smell your desire, Kagome."

Kagome whimpered as he came closer to her, brushing his lips against hers briefly before he pulled away and snarled, "Damn… Inuyasha has returned. We will continue this discussion later."

He quickly placed a kiss to her chin and got up from the bed just as Inuyasha came in explaining the earlier disturbance, "it was an old lady getting attacked by a couple of demons… why is Kagome over there?"

Inuyasha looked from Kagome to Sesshomaru and saw the fear in her eyes as well as smell it in the air. He glared at the older demon, "what did you do to her you bastard!"

"Nothing, she was about to fall over onto the floor so this Sesshomaru moved her to the bed so she wouldn't harm herself."

"Why do you care if she's hurt or not, she's a human remember!"

"You have no right to judge this Sesshomaru's actions and I do not have to explain them to you, either. I did not harm her if that is what you're implicating."

"You'd better not have because if you did I'll…"

Inuyasha was cut off as Sesshomaru lunged forward and grabbed him by the throat, digging his claws into the hanyu's flesh as he spoke, "you'll what half-breed, kill me? That is unlikely, I kept my promise and brought no harm to the girl and since the rain has let up this Sesshomaru is leaving. You should learn to control that temper of yours little brother, it will get you killed one day."

"Ha! You're the one who should learn to control yourself! At least I can resist the urge to rape an innocent girl when no one's around to protect her!"

Sesshomaru's eyes burned into Inuyasha's as he raised his free hand to kill the hanyu in his grasp, "wrong thing to say half-breed."

"Sesshomaru stop!"

Kagome's shout made Sesshomaru pause in mid-swing and he looked over at her with questioning eyes as she pleaded with him, "Sesshomaru… please don't hurt Inuyasha. We're all tired from the storm last night, let's just forget about this and go our separate ways, please?"

Sesshomaru felt his compassion for his mate overtaking his urge to rip the brash young man in his hands to shreds and he unceremoniously dropped him to the ground, leaving the cave without another word. Kagome helped Inuyasha up and asked, "Are you ok, Inuyasha?"

"Yeah… did he hurt you!"

"No… he just… startled me is all, I woke up and he was… laying me down on the bed… he didn't touch me."

Inuyasha leaned down and sniffed her briefly, raising an eyebrow at her, "then why do you reek of him?"

"He carried me to the bed silly, that's why."

"That better be the only thing he did..."

"Please don't Inuyasha, I'm tired and I just want to go home."

"Alright, it's morning now and the rain has stopped so lets get you home."

"Thanks."

Kagome jumped onto his back and he took off into the forest and it didn't take long for him to reach the well that led back to her time. She jumped off his back and smiled up at him, "thanks for everything Inuyasha."

"Sure."

She started to step into the well but Inuyasha took her wrist and pulled her back, "wait Kagome."

"What?"

Without warning Inuyasha pulled her to him and placed a firm kiss to her mouth, pulling away a moment later to grin at her, "I'll see you later."

"Yeah, after I take a bath and a long nap."

Inuyasha grinned and his ears perked up at the thought, "can I come and watch?"

Kagome flushed before shouting, "No you perv!"

"Are you sure?"

Kagome groaned, "Sit boy!"

Inuyasha flopped to the ground and Kagome jumped down the well, missing the grumbling Inuyasha was giving her as he got up and dusted himself off.

Unaware to the two of them was that they were being watched by two red eyes from a nearby tree. Sesshomaru had left the cave and went to the creek for a drink and happened to spot Inuyasha and Kagome heading into the forest. He followed them and watched as they said something to one another before Kagome started to jump into the well. Then his rage erupted inside of him when he saw Inuyasha grab Kagome and pull her against him for a kiss before he released her. Sesshomaru managed to somehow keep his temper in check and smirked when he heard Kagome shout, "Sit boy!"

A chuckle escaped him as he watched his younger brother fall ungracefully onto his face as Kagome jumped into the well and disappeared.

Inuyasha left a moment later and Sesshomaru finally let out the feral growl he'd been holding, _"This is not over Kagome. I will not let you chose that half-breed over me. You are my mate and I'm going to make certain that you know it."_


	4. Chapter 4

Kagome hummed happily to herself as she brushed out her raven colored hair. It had been a couple of days since she'd seen Inuyasha and she was eager to meet up with him. Her family had gone out of town to visit a sick relative so she had the house all to herself, which meant that she could spend some time with Inuyasha without any unwanted interruptions. She had gone out and bought a new outfit just for this occasion; it was a light blue tank top with a crescent moon on the front and she had also gotten a thigh length blue skirt to match. The outfit didn't reveal much aside from a small bit of her navel and most of her cream colored legs but it was enough to be enticing and that was what she wanted.

Ever since the other night in the cave she couldn't stop thinking about what had happened between herself and Inuyasha. She had been so sure about making love with him and it puzzled her as to why she suddenly wanted to stop when he touched her. She couldn't explain it but when he put his hands on her she felt as though she were betraying someone that it wasn't right to be with the doggy-eared man. Thinking back Kagome could recall seeing Sesshomaru above her instead of Inuyasha but she dismissed it as being fear from her dream that was intensified by being in the same cave it took place in.

As she styled her bangs her mind wandered to the few moments she'd had with Sesshomaru. When she first awoke she had been startled by him but as he got closer to her the fear vanished. What surprised her even more was how she had reacted to his touch, it was so much different than Inuyasha's, Sesshomaru's touch didn't make her feel nervous or wrong. When he had his hand on her face she felt like it was right, like he was meant to be there with her and she didn't feel like she was betraying someone as she had with the hanyou. Kagome had told him that she didn't like his touch but he had seen past that and knew she'd been lying but for some strange reason she couldn't admit to herself that she liked the way he touched her.

Kagome shook all those thoughts from her mind and spun around a couple of times in front of her full length mirror to make sure she looked perfect before she headed off to the well, trying to hold back her excitement as she went. When she reached the feudal era she took off into the woods, knowing that Inuyasha would be on the cliff where he usually was. He often went there to be by himself but Kagome knew he wouldn't mind her company. As she reached the top of the hill she spotted the hanyou standing near the edge of the cliff, his face void of any emotion as he became lost in his own little world. She giggled softly to herself and decided to sneak up on him, tiptoeing up behind a nearby tree so she wouldn't alert him to her presence. As she ducked behind the trunk she couldn't help but chuckle in her mind, _"I can't wait to see the look on Inuyasha's face when he sees my new out…"_

Kagome paused in her thoughts when she saw someone approaching the white-haired young man and she instantly recognized the individual. There was no mistaking that long black hair or the bow and arrow that she carried on her back, _"What's Kikyo doing here?"_

Kikyo stepped up to Inuyasha and they started talking softly to one another. Kagome strained her ears to hear them but she was too far away to pick up anything but murmurs. She looked on and felt dread begin to creep up inside of her stomach as Kikyo rested her hand on Inuyasha's cheek. Then the priestess leaned up and kissed the hanyou lightly on the lips, causing his eyes to widen with shock for a moment and Kagome's to water with tears, _"Inuyasha will push her away… I know he will… he wouldn't betray me…"_

Her hopes shattered in an instant as she watched the scene play out before her. Instead of doing what Kagome prayed he would do and push Kikyo away Inuyasha closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around the priestess, pulling her closer to him as his hair fell to conceal them from Kagome's view. Kagome felt hot tears start to stream down her face and she turned and ran back the way she came, running blindly through the forest as fast as she could go. She didn't care about the branches as they cut into her arms and legs, she didn't feel the pain when she tripped and fell on her knee the only thing she could feel was the pain in her heart.

"_Why Inuyasha! Why would you do this! Why did you betray me!"_

In her panic to get back home Kagome wasn't paying attention to where she was going and her shirt got caught on a branch and she jerked to get free from it, ripping the thin material. She turned to run again but smashed into something hard and she fell to the ground before she looked up with tear filled brown eyes to meet impassive golden ones.

Sesshomaru had managed to escape from Rin and Jaken and made his way to the creek to splash some water on his face to relax his nerves. He had wanted to go and see Kagome for several days now but Rin had fallen ill and Jaken was clueless about how to care for the little human. He realized he still loved the little girl but not in the way he thought he once had, where he once saw her as a potential lover he now saw her as more of a daughter. He was fine with that because he already had a mate so he didn't have to worry any more about hurting the little girl he'd grown so fond of. Now that he was alone, his thoughts wandered to Kagome and what he could do to get her to trust him.

No matter how hard he tried he couldn't understand as to why she kept trying to flee from him. Had he frightened her that much? Had he hurt her? Did she hate him now that it was over and in the past? Sesshomaru wanted Kagome to be fond of him but he didn't know how to sway her attention away from his half-breed brother. He couldn't understand why she cared for the mutt; he was irresponsible, obnoxious, ill tempered, and disloyal to her. Every time he turned around he was with that priestess and practically ignoring Kagome now he suddenly was with her and being faithful to her? He doubted that, he couldn't imagine Inuyasha being loyal especially not when it came between Kagome and Kikyo.

Sesshomaru never understood his younger sibling and he never tried to, the only thing that mattered to him right now was getting his mate to stop being fearful of him and come to him willingly. He stood to leave but paused when he heard footsteps coming his way. He sniffed the air and could smell faint traces of salt mixed with the person's unique scent, a scent he'd come to recognize very well. Sesshomaru looked to the side and saw Kagome come running out of the trees in a frantic manner as if she were fleeing from something.

As she came out from behind a tree her shirt got snagged on a branch and he heard the fabric rip as she jerked away. She staggered for a moment and began running again but she wasn't looking where she was going and slammed directly into him. Kagome fell to the ground then she slowly looked up at him, tears streaming down her face as he asked, "Why the hurry?"

"None of your business, Sesshomaru!"

Sesshomaru couldn't help but smile at the fire in her eyes, that was one of the things that attracted him to her, no matter how afraid or upset she was there always seemed to be some type of fire within those chocolate depths. He looked her over for a moment and saw numerous cuts and scrapes on her, most likely where she'd been running through the bushes. What bothered him were the silver streams that followed her delicate face down to her chin where they dripped off onto her now ripped and torn shirt, _"I wonder what is bothering her…"_

Sesshomaru's thoughts were interrupted when Kagome's soft voice reached his sensitive ears, "I'm sorry… for running into you, I wasn't paying attention."

He extended his hand to her and she took it before he helped her up, "Don't fret over it, now why are you running, is someone after you?"

"Like I said before, it's none of your business."

"It is my business when you run into me, now what is wrong?"

"Nothing…"

Kagome tried to leave but Sesshomaru caught her wrist and held her back, his voice soft but tinged with concern, "why are you weeping?"

"It's nothing!"

"Most individuals do not cry without a reason, Kagome."

"I don't want to talk about it especially not with you!"

Sesshomaru felt a slight bit of hurt at her last comment, so she still didn't trust him. Well he would have to change that now wouldn't he? He moved closer to her to where his mouth was just inches from her ear, making sure his chest brushed against her back as he whispered lightly to her, "You can tell this Sesshomaru what is bothering you, he will not pass judgment on you or mock you."

Kagome felt her tears stop briefly as his words registered in her mind and for a moment she actually considered confiding in the demon lord but she stopped herself at the last second, "no… I can't tell you… just please let me go, Sesshomaru… I just want to go home…"

Sesshomaru let her pull away from his grasp and he watched her leave, his eyes taking on a look of worry as the smell of fresh tears reached his nose. He sighed and looked back the way she came, sniffing the air briefly before following her scent up the trail. It didn't take long for him to reach the cliff and that's when he saw Inuyasha sitting by himself near the edge. Sesshomaru sniffed the air again and found that Kagome's scent stopped at the tree he was standing behind, _"Inuyasha must have done something to her, but what?"_

Sesshomaru looked on and saw Kikyo come up behind Inuyasha and hug him around the shoulders. The hanyou turned around and smiled at her before he pulled her down for a kiss. Sesshomaru's eyes tinted red as he watched the pair, his anger boiling to the surface, finally understanding what must have happened earlier with Kagome, _"That bastard… he betrayed her! That's what must have happened… Kagome saw them…"_

Sesshomaru snorted in disgust when Inuyasha playfully pushed Kikyo to the ground and loomed over her before he kissed her. The demon lord shook his head and had to turn away, sickened by the scene before him. He turned and headed back the way he came, his mind racing, _"I can't believe he would give up Kagome for that dead priestess! Well it is his loss, I'll tear him to shreds later on but right now I have to find Kagome and make sure she is alright."_

_**LATER THAT NIGHT**_

Kagome sighed and sat on the edge of her bed as she finished toweling her damp hair. It had been a horrible day; after she saw Inuyasha with Kikyo she ran straight home and had been crying since then. After awhile she figured that a nice bath might help and it had a little, the warm water temporarily relieved her of the images from earlier. She tossed the towel aside and changed into a loose nightgown before lying down and closing her eyes.

Kagome tried to just go to sleep and put the whole ordeal behind her but every time she closed her eyes she saw Inuyasha kissing Kikyo. After about two hours she gave up and just stared at the wall, trying to think of nothing in particular as she attempted to tire herself out. Then her mind began to wander to Sesshomaru and what had happened earlier with him. He seemed like he was concerned about her but it wasn't likely, Sesshomaru hated humans, aside from Rin of course.

But that night in the cave he had tried to kiss her so maybe he felt something for her. She thought back and could recall a strange look in his golden eyes, one she couldn't quite place. At first she thought he was just teasing her and mocking her fear of him but when she saw that look in his eyes all the fear she'd had for him vanished completely. He had kissed her for only a moment but she could still feel his breath against her face and feel his lips against hers.

Kagome fiddled with a string on her pillow and his words suddenly replayed in her mind, _"We will continue this discussion later."_

"_Did Sesshomaru really mean that?" _she thought almost dreamily.

Kagome couldn't help but wonder if Sesshomaru's words held any truth. Would he come to finish what he'd started in the cave and make her dream a reality? Deep down she hoped he would come for her then she wouldn't be alone and feel so empty inside. Her thoughts drifted once again to Inuyasha and fresh tears sprung to her eyes, _"Darn you, Inuyasha! I'll never trust you again… I wish I'd never met you!"_

Kagome buried her face into her pillow and wept, all of her pain and anguish leaving with her salty tears. She cried until she couldn't cry anymore then her body finally gave out and she drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

About an hour or so later Kagome's window creaked open and a dark figure entered her room. He silently crept up to the bed and sat on the edge beside of the sleeping girl. The figure watched her sleep for several moments then he reached out and ran his fingers down her cheek. Kagome leaned into the touch and rolled over to get comfortable again, fully revealing her face to her visitor.

Resting his weight on one of his forearms he leaned down and kissed her firmly on the mouth. Kagome awoke just enough to notice the warm pair of lips dancing against her own and she kissed back, sighing against him when his hand came up to cradle her face. She felt the slight brush of his claws against her cheekbone and she knew it was Inuyasha. The image of him and Kikyo flashed in her mind once more and through her sleep induced haze she felt her anger towards the hanyou rise. Not only did he betray her but he actually had the nerve to come to her room in the middle of the night and kiss her!

Kagome moved her head from side to side until she managed to pull away from his questing lips, "No… get off…"

He didn't take the hint instead he leaned down and ran his tongue along her jaw, causing her to push on his chest to get him away, "Stop… I'm mad at you…"

He ignored her complaints and continued with what he was doing, making Kagome even more frustrated with him, "Stop it, just go away Inuyasha!"

There was a strange silence between them for a moment then Kagome heard a deep, calm, sensuous voice reach her ears, "I'm not Inuyasha."

That comment was enough to clear the sleep from Kagome's mind and make her fully awake and alert. She opened her eyes and looked up to see two golden orbs staring down at her. She reached over and turned on her lamp, gasping when she saw Sesshomaru kneeling above her, "S… Sesshomaru?"

"Yes."

Kagome rolled away from him until she made contact with the wall before she asked, "W… what're you doing here?"

"This Sesshomaru was concerned about you and he wanted to see if you were alright."

"I'm fine… but… how did you get here?"

"That well of yours. I discovered it the last time I followed you and Inuyasha."

"Oh…"

They were silent for what seemed like an eternity after that, neither saying a word as Kagome tried to make sense of what was going on. She suddenly felt uneasy and looked up at Sesshomaru to see his eyes wandering over her and she glanced down at herself, discovering that her nightgown was completely see-through. She gasped and quickly covered herself with her blanket, getting a chuckle from the silver-haired demon as he moved to sit in front of her, "Why are you crying?" he asked suddenly.

"What?"

"You've been crying and do not deny it because this Sesshomaru can smell the tears on you."

"It's nothing."

Sesshomaru reached out and moved some stray hair away from her face, causing her to flinch slightly at the touch. He sighed at this, "does this Sesshomaru's touch bother you that badly?"

"Y… yes."

"Really?" Sesshomaru chuckled softly and moved his hand to run up and down the length of her arm, "that's amusing."

Kagome gave him a curious yet challenging stare, "why is that?"

"Because you did not mind this Sesshomaru's hands the last time he was touching you."

Kagome's eyes widen slightly with shock, "what're you talking about? You've never touched me."

"Oh but I have my sweet little human, this Sesshomaru has touched every inch of you, don't you remember?"

His hand moved to push the blanket away from her body before he ran his clawed fingertips along her sides, provoking a shiver from her as she whispered, "no…"

Sesshomaru chuckled in his throat and brought his hand up to cup her breast, earning himself a gasp of surprise as he began to knead the soft flesh. He felt her nipple begin to harden underneath her thin nightgown and couldn't help but smile, "well, your body remembers my touch whether you do or not, Kagome."

Kagome felt her fear beginning to return as she saw the lust in his eyes, the same lust she'd seen in her dream and in the cave that night of the rainstorm. She gasped when his thumb and forefinger began to twist and pull gently on her sensitive breast and her mind once again began to flash with the images of her dream. She couldn't believe that it was really happening now, that it was becoming real. Part of her was terrified of the demon before her but the other part of her yearned for this, yearned for Sesshomaru and right now that side of her was winning out over her fear as his hands squeezed her lightly.

"_It was a dream… it was a dream… it was a dream…"_

"What was a dream, Kagome?"

Kagome's eyes shot open and she looked up at Sesshomaru, she didn't realize she'd spoken out loud but apparently she had. Sesshomaru gazed into her dark brown eyes for a moment until realization seemed to dong on him and he let go of her breast, "so that's it."

"W… what's it?"

"You believe our first time was a dream, don't you?"

"Our… first time…"

"Yes, that night in the cave, don't you remember?"

"No! It didn't really happen, you're just messing with me!"

"It did happen, what is so hard to believe about that? Is it because of your feelings that still linger for Inuyasha?"

"What?"

"Even though that mutt has betrayed you, you still have some feelings left for him, don't you?"

"That's none of your business, Sesshomaru!"

"It is when he hurts you."

Kagome growled softly, "Why would you care if he hurts me or not!"

"Because I care what happens to my mate, especially when it comes to my half-breed brother hurting her."

"Mate!"

Did she hear him right, did he just call her his mate! Sesshomaru cocked his head to one side and slightly arched one eyebrow at her, "Yes my mate, you seem surprised."

"I'm not your mate."

"Oh you're not? Tell me something, that night of the rainstorm you and Inuyasha were attempting to make love weren't you?"

Kagome flushed and that was all the answer Sesshomaru needed as he continued, "answer me this, did you feel uncomfortable with him? Did you feel as though you were betraying someone? Did you feel like you weren't meant to be there with him? Did you see this Sesshomaru instead of Inuyasha?"

With each question Kagome's eyes widened further, how could he possibly know all of that? Could he read her mind? She swallowed the lump in her throat and whispered, "How can you possibly understand how I would feel? You're not me!"

"No I am not you, but I am your mate and that is why you could not make love with Inuyasha."

"I'm not your mate! I don't understand much about your culture or traditions but I do know that you have to mark someone before they become your mate."

"That is true and I did mark you."

"No you didn't."

"Didn't I? Then explain the marking on your neck."

Sesshomaru reached out and moved her shirt to the side, revealing the flawless skin that lay underneath to look at the place where his mark should have been, "it's disappeared by now but it was there."

"I thought… it came from Inuyasha when we were wrestling around a few weeks ago."

Sesshomaru shook his head, "No, the mark came from me."

"When did you do this?"

"That night in the cave remember? I hadn't intended to mark you that night but you weren't reacting to me so I bite you to get your attention. It was accidental and more of a nip than anything else so your body treated it as any other wound and healed it. It wasn't an official marking but it was enough to bond us together as mates. That is why you couldn't touch him because you already belong to me, no one else but this Sesshomaru can touch you unless you are forced."

Kagome raised her knees to her chest, resting her chin on her kneecaps, her voice distant and unsure, "I'm your mate…"

Sesshomaru reached out and moved some hair away from her eyes and she ducked away from him, getting a soft growl from the demon lord, "you know that you are my mate yet you still pull away from me, why?"

Kagome didn't answer him so he continued, "Is it because you still love Inuyasha, even after all he's done to you?"

"What do you mean?"

"I know what he has done to you, he betrayed you by going to the priestess."

Kagome looked up at him with wide, surprised eyes her voice soft, "How do you… know about that?"

"After you left this afternoon this Sesshomaru followed your scent back to the cliff and he found Inuyasha with that woman Kikyo. That is why you've been crying isn't it, because you saw the same thing I did."

Kagome clenched her hands into tight fists and looked away from him, anger flashing in her eyes, "You don't know what you're talking about."

"I do, you entrusted your heart to that half-breed and he destroyed it. I know you loved him that was always apparent in battle the way you tried to protect him but he has betrayed you. How can you care for him even after he choose that dead priestess over you?"

Kagome felt tears of pain and rage start to fall down her cheeks at his words and she looked up at him with blurry eyes. She raised her hand and tried to slap him but he saw it coming and caught her wrist, holding it in his tight grasp as she tried to pull away, "You know I am right, Kagome, why can't you forget Inuyasha and entrust yourself to me, your mate?"

Kagome somehow managed to twist out of his grip and growled at him, "Don't touch me! Just leave Sesshomaru!"

"No, I'm not leaving."

Sesshomaru leaned in to kiss away a few of her tears but she pulled away and raised her hand to hit him again. This time her hand made contact with his cheek but he just stared at her as fresh tears fell from her eyes, "Why won't you just leave me alone!"

"Because this Sesshomaru is not like Inuyasha, he will not abandon his mate when she needs him."

"I don't need you… I don't need anyone…"

Kagome buried her face in her hands, too ashamed to look at him any longer and began to cry softly. Sesshomaru reached out and took her into his arms and pulled her to him, she struggled against him at first but he was persistent and she gave into him in the end. She rested her head on his shoulder and wept into his haori, her voice soft but filled with pain, "why was I so stupid…"

"You are not stupid Kagome, you just have a young, naïve human heart."

"Please leave now… I'm fine…"

"No you are not, this Sesshomaru will never leave your side for anything or anyone, I am here for you and always will be."

Kagome nuzzled further into the nape of his neck and wrapped her arms around his chest, curling into a ball on his lap as he ran a hand through her hair to try and soothe her. Soon after that her sobs quieted down and her body went limp as exhaustion took over her being. Sesshomaru gently laid her down and covered her up before he moved to lie down beside of her, running his hand up and down her sides as he watched her sleep. It hurt him to see her in pain like this. He was angry but not at Kagome, he was angry with Inuyasha for hurting her this way, how he could choose that dead priestess over Kagome was something that Sesshomaru couldn't understand. Kagome was beautiful in everyway and had always been loyal and caring towards the hanyou even when no one else cared for him or knew he existed.

Sesshomaru had planned on seducing her tonight but after her little breakdown he knew he would have to wait on that for a little while until she could regain herself. But he didn't mind, she was worth it and besides he wanted her to trust him before he took her again, he didn't want to forcibly take her as he had the first time.

Looking back he recalled the fear and pain in her eyes as he tore her clothes away from her fragile body, he could smell the blood on her from where he'd bitten her. Now that he thought about it their first time really couldn't be considered making love it was more of a rape than anything else. Sesshomaru felt a spark of guilt flare up within him and he leaned down to place a light kiss to Kagome's temple, _"Next time will be different, Kagome. Next time I won't hurt you but I will make sure that you know how much you mean to me."_

_**That's chapter 4. FINALLY! Sorry about the delay but I couldn't remember what I'd written and I had to start over. Any ways, hope you liked this chappie, chapter 5 is in the works and I'll have it up soon. Thanks for being patient everyone :).**_


	5. Chapter 5

Large, clawed hands sliding over flawless pale flesh.

Hot, sensual lips leaving a wet trail down an ivory colored throat as a slippery tongue flicked out to taste the racing pulse beneath thin human skin.

Fangs grazing over kiss-bruised, cherry colored lips.

Long silver hair.

Golden eyes.

A hot, whispering breath wafting across a passion sensitive ear, "Kagome…"

Kagome shot awake and came face to face with her wall. She could feel her face heat up as she realized what she'd been dreaming about, hastily wiping away the bead of sweat that traveled down her temple. It took her a few moments to calm herself down then she let out a sigh and tried to stretch out but found that difficult to do. She rolled over and her eyes widened slightly when she saw that Sesshomaru was still beside of her asleep.

Kagome carefully pulled away from his embrace and gazed down at him with curious eyes, memorizing every part of him. She had never considered a man to be beautiful before but there was no other word to describe the demon next to her. His face was long and delicately shaped like a woman's, complimented by his long perfect eyelashes and enticing, sexy lips. Even the stripes on his cheeks and crescent moon on his forehead did nothing to take one's attention away from his unique beauty, in fact they added to it.

It surprised her that he was still here, she thought for sure that he would be disgusted with her for the way she acted last night yet here he was next to her. She could recall what he had told her the night before, _"this Sesshomaru is not like Inuyasha, he will not abandon his mate when she needs him."_

"_Does he really care for me the way he says he does? And if I really am his mate can I learn to love him?"_

Kagome thought back to their first time in the cave. At first she truly was afraid of him and didn't want him but something had changed her mind and in the end she couldn't help but give into him and let him do as he wished with her. She could remember how good his touch felt and how he made her feel, like she was wanted and pretty. She had felt that way with Inuyasha as well at times but the way Sesshomaru touched her earlier made her feel safe and secure… certain of his feelings. The last time Inuyasha touched her she was uncomfortable and nervous and now she knew she couldn't trust his touch because of what he had done with Kikyo.

Kagome looked down at the sleeping demon and felt a small smile come to her lips, _"He's never really hurt me, I don't know why I was afraid of him. But I can't help but wonder… if we do become a couple will he ever betray me like Inuyasha did?"_

Sesshomaru stirred slightly in his sleep and licked his dry lips, drawing her attention there once more and she was tempted to kiss those lips but decided against it. Instead she turned away and let out a sigh, _"I wonder what it will be like to have a demon for a boyfriend… maybe I can…"_

"EEEK!"

Kagome yelped out when she felt a hand run up and down her back and she turned around to see Sesshomaru awake and looking up at her with eyes still slightly hazy from sleep, "What's wrong?" he asked softly

"Nothing, I was just wondering why you're still here is all."

Sesshomaru sat up and smiled at her, "I told you, this Sesshomaru would never abandon you when you need him. You fell asleep and I wanted to stay until I was certain you were alright."

"Oh… well I'm ok, you can go now if you want."

"Do you want me to leave?"

Kagome thought about that for a moment and felt a delightful shiver go through her spine when his hand found the ticklish spot on her side, "No… not really."

"Then I will stay."

Sesshomaru leaned into her and rested his chin on her shoulder, his hand leaving her back to come up and play with her hair. Kagome sighed and let her mind wander as his hand ran through her black locks. Up until last night she thought that her whole experience with Sesshomaru had been a dream but now it turned out to be real? She just couldn't believe it. Another thing she couldn't quite grasp yet was the fact that she was his mate. Wait… his mate! If she was really his mate… then they would eventually…

"What is wrong, Kagome?" his deep voice asked softly, bringing her out of her thoughts.

"Nothing… it's silly."

"I don't know if it's silly unless you tell me what it is."

Kagome looked back at him for a moment and saw a strange glimmer in his golden eyes, one that told her he wasn't going to let her dismiss her thoughts as nothing to him. She sighed and turned away from him to look at her hands in her lap, "We're… mates right?"

"Yes."

"Well… since we're mates doesn't that mean that eventually we're going to… you know… make love?"

Sesshomaru arched an eyebrow gracefully for the briefest moment before he replied, "Yes, does that bother you?"

"Well… I don't know, I mean I know we've made love once before but…"

"No we didn't." he interrupted softly

"What?"

Kagome was utterly confused now. She knew that they had made love before that night in the cave and he had told her himself that they had so why was he denying it now?

Sesshomaru turned her around so that she was facing him and he began to trace the soft contours of her jaw with careful fingertips as he explained, "do you remember our first time?"

"Yes."

"Well it couldn't truly be considered making love because this Sesshomaru forced you to submit to him, in truth he raped you."

"Well… it… started out that way but I remember agreeing to it in the end."

"Because you really didn't have a choice in the matter. But as for your earlier question yes we will make love eventually but not until you are ready."

"You would… wait for me? Why?"

Sesshomaru smiled and leaned into her until their noses where touching, his breath mingling with hers as he answered, "Because this Sesshomaru does not want to repeat our first time, I want you to come to me willingly and without fear before I touch you again. The next time we make love it will be because you want this Sesshomaru not because he forced you to come to him."

Kagome couldn't help but smile at his words, she had never realized it before but Sesshomaru was actually very kind, he just didn't seem to be because he never showed it. In battle he was cold and cruel and he was that way with her their first time in the cave, well at least in the beginning he had been. But now he was kind and gentle in fact he didn't really seem like Sesshomaru anymore but knowing the fact that he had another side to his cold, arrogant personality was very appealing. She would have to dive further into the demon known as Sesshomaru before she made love to him again but she had a feeling that the journey there would be a fun one.

Without thinking she leaned in and kissed his cheek, surprising even herself at how comfortable the simple gesture felt, "Thank you… hey wait, don't you have to get back to Rin?"

Sesshomaru smiled evilly, "she is fine, Jaken is taking care of her for now."

"What's the evil smile for?"

"Rin has found the joy in play fighting with Jaken."

Kagome couldn't help but giggle at the thought of Rin sparring with Jaken; the match was obviously unfair because Jaken couldn't hurt her without severe punishment from Sesshomaru but Rin could get away with just about anything. The image flew from her mind when she felt Sesshomaru's hand on her waist and she looked up at him to see his lips coming closer to hers. For a moment she thought about pulling away from him but she forced herself to stay still and to her surprise he turned his head at the last second and placed a kiss to her cheek instead.

Sesshomaru chuckled at her confusion, "what's wrong, Kagome?"

"I thought you were going to kiss me?"

"No, as I said this Sesshomaru is not going to touch you unless you want him to."

"Oh…"

"Why, did you want me to kiss you?"

Kagome flushed brightly and before she thought about what she was doing she huffed and turned away from him. Sesshomaru chuckled deep in his throat and moved to sit behind her once more as his hands found her hips, "Are you angry with this Sesshomaru now?"

"No… not really."

"In any case, this Sesshomaru must leave soon to get back to Rin and Jaken."

"I know."

"Until then can this Sesshomaru hold you?"

Kagome turned her head to look at him with slight surprise. He was asking her permission to hold her? She looked up into his eyes and saw the smallest glimmer of hope within those amber colored depths and couldn't help but surrender to that call. She nodded and he pulled her to him letting her head lay on his shoulder as he set her in his lap.

Kagome sighed and leaned into him when his hand started rubbing her back again, she hated to admit it but his touch really felt good and made her feel… warm inside. They stayed that way for sometime after that and Kagome started to doze off then a voice in the other room snapped her out of her peaceful twilight zone, "Kagome we're home."

She gasped and sat up, quickly moving out of Sesshomaru's hold to lock her door, "Oh no… Mom! Sesshomaru you have to leave."

"Why?" he asked simply as he moved to stand in front of her.

"Because if my mom catching you in here she'll freak out!"

Sesshomaru still didn't understand what was wrong with her. It was just her mother so why should he have to leave simply because she came home? He gave her a questioning look and Kagome groaned as her mother called to her again, "Kagome."

"In a minute Mom!"

She turned to Sesshomaru and tried to push him to the window but she didn't even budge the large demon as he starred down at her. She gave up on trying to force him out and began to pace around the room to think, "Ok… what can I say to get you to understand? I know! Pretend that your father is still alive ok?"

Sesshomaru let his eyebrow rise in confusion but he went along with it, "Alright."

"Ok now picture him walking in on you and Rin."

Sesshomaru took a minute to think about that and he could picture the look on his father's face if he happened upon his eldest son and a human child and that would not be a sight to behold. Mating an adult human female was one thing but a child was an entirely different matter, "I see your point. Alright this Sesshomaru will leave for now but I will return to see you soon."

"Ok."

Sesshomaru started out the window but he paused for a moment before returning to Kagome, "What is it?" she asked softly.

Before she could do anything else Sesshomaru lifted her up into his arms and placed a firm kiss to her mouth, receiving a gasp of surprise from her before he set her down, "goodbye for now, Kagome."

With that said and done Sesshomaru left without another word and Kagome just stood there in shock for a minute until her mother's voice once again pierced through her haze, "Kagome!"

"Coming Mom!"

Over the next few weeks Kagome really started to get to know and trust Sesshomaru. He came to see her nearly everyday and they had even started to have actually conversations with one another. He would talk about Rin and what mischief she was into and the demons he'd fought that day and she would tell him about school and what she'd done all day. It was nice and Kagome had come to enjoy his company and now looked forward to seeing him.

To her surprise Sesshomaru had kept his word, he hadn't touched her since the night he first came to her room. Oh of course he would kiss her on the lips every so often and he even kissed her neck once in awhile but if he even thought he sensed her uneasiness he would stop. Most of the time she didn't mind his kisses, she enjoyed them in fact but there were a few occasions when she felt uncertain about his intentions like when his hand ventured farther than usual or when he had that lustful look in his eyes.

Besides that though everything was fine and she had even discovered a few ways to rub him the wrong way. Kagome was playing around one day and had called him 'Lord Sesshomaru' and she literally saw his hair rise up. He told her that he didn't want her to be formal with him so every time he did something to annoy her all she had to do was call him 'milord' and giggle when he fuzzed up. At first she was timid to joke around with him like that but she had discovered early on that he wouldn't do anything to her and to her joy he let her get away with it.

One night Kagome yawned and rubbed her eyes to try and stay awake. She looked at her clock and sighed when it read one a.m. She turned back to her books and began reading the paragraph again, she had a huge test tomorrow and she had to get as much studying done as she could. Kagome got up and walked around a bit to stretch her legs and get some blood going to her brain but it didn't do much as she sat back down. Eventually she laid her head down to rest her tired eyes, "I'll rest for just a minute then I'll get back to work."

The next morning Kagome awoke with a start and looked at her clock before screaming, "OH NO! I'M LATE!"

She quickly threw on her uniform and grabbed her books, knocking everything else off of her desk as she ran out the door. Somehow or another she made it just in time for the bell and opened her book once more to put in a little more study time before the test. A couple of hours later she finished her test and turned it in to the teacher before returning to her seat. As she was passing by Ayumi she saw a note on her desk and gasped to herself as she sat down. She knew she'd forgotten to do something today and now she knew what it was, she forgot to leave a note for Sesshomaru!

He often got worried about her when she wasn't there to greet him and he had even come looking for her once or twice, including that time he tracked her down at the mall…which hadn't been a good experience at all for anyone. So to make him happy she began leaving him notes to tell him where she was and when she would be back but she was in such a rush this morning she'd forgotten to do it and now she began to worry, _"Oh no! I forget to leave Sesshomaru a note! What if he comes looking for me? I'm sure my room's a wreck and he's going to think that something bad happened! Oh well… I'm sure I'll make it back home before he comes to see me… I hope…"_

After school Kagome tried to hurry home but as she reached the front gate her friends caught up to her, "Hey Kagome wait up!"

"Oh hey guys, I've gotta get inside and…"

"Oh what's the rush?" Eri asked with a smile

"Yeah you gotta get ready for a hot date?" Ayumi teased

"No! I just… left a mess this morning and I have to clean it up before my mom sees it. Hey… what's wrong with you guys?" Kagome asked when she saw the dazed look on her friends' faces.

They were looking at something behind her and her curiosity got the better of her and she turned around, letting out cry of surprise when she saw an unhappy looking Sesshomaru standing there, "Sesshomaru! You startled me! Wait what're you doing here!"

"I came to see you but you weren't home… who are they?" he asked with slight irritation upon seeing her friends staring at him.

Yuka nudged Kagome and asked, "Who's your friend, Kagome?"

"Um… he's… um…"

Before she could answer they surrounded him and started asking him all sorts of questions, most of which he ignored until Eri asked, "What's your name since Kagome won't tell us."

"Sesshomaru." He answered simply

"Sesshomaru huh? That's a really nice name."

"Yeah and I LOVE your hair!" Ayumi practically squealed

Sesshomaru just gave her a confused look, "Um… thank you… I suppose."

Yuka turned to Kagome and asked, "Hey Kagome is he half?"

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed at that comment and he snarled at them, "This Sesshomaru is no half-breed!"

The girls jumped back, startled by his tone and Kagome quickly went up to him and took hold on his sleeve, "No don't be angry, they didn't mean it like that, Sesshomaru. They want to know if you're half Japanese."

"Oh… no I'm not."

"Sorry we didn't mean to offend you." Eri apologized

Kagome giggled nervously and started pushing her friends away from the gate, "Yes well Sesshomaru isn't much of a people person and I have a lot of stuff to do so why don't you go on and I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"Alright we get the hint, see you later Kagome, bye." Ayumi smiled as she left.

The other two bid Kagome farewell and they too headed off. Kagome waved at them before quickly leading Sesshomaru in through her window. Once they were inside her room she let out a sigh, "That was close… Sesshomaru what were you doing?"

"I was about to come looking for you. This Sesshomaru was worried that someone had taken you."

"Why would you think that?"

Sesshomaru nodded towards her desk where everything was scattered on the floor and Kagome gave a nervous chuckle, "Oh that… I was running late this morning and I forgot to leave a note, sorry."

"Where were you all day?"

"School, I had a test today."

"A test? You mean a test of strength?"

"No it's a test that sees if we study and learn what we're supposed to."

"How did you do?"

Kagome sighed, "I don't know, hopefully I did well but…"

"Kagome?" her mother's voice interrupted

Before Kagome could lock her door her mother came in and gave her a worried look, "I heard a shout what's going on in… oh… you didn't tell me you had company, Kagome, who's your friend?"

Kagome looked from her mother to Sesshomaru for a moment until she could think of something to tell her, "Um… this is… Sess from school!" she blurted out quickly.

Kagome's mother gave her a questioning look, "Sess huh? That's an interesting outfit you have on there, Sess, what are you supposed to be?"

Sesshomaru opened his mouth to answer but Kagome beat him to it, "It's for a play we're doing at school later on this year!"

Her mother smiled, "Oh a play, what's it about?"

"You see… um… he's supposed to be a demon who kidnaps the princess and he came over to show me his costume! Isn't it convincing?" she giggled nervously as she scratched the back of her head.

Her mother smiled, "Oh yes very convincing, you even have claws I see."

Sesshomaru began to explain what was really going on but Kagome grasped his hand and he looked down at her to meet her pleading brown eyes, "Please just play along." She whispered softly.

Sesshomaru sighed and forced himself to smile slightly at her mother, "Yes… this Se… I mean I worked hard on this… costume."

"Well it paid off you look just like a demon. Well now that I know that everything's ok I'm going to town to get something for dinner. Will you be alright here by yourself for awhile, Kagome?"

"Yes Mom I'll be fine, don't worry."

"I'm off then, it was nice meeting you, Sess."

"You too."

Kagome's mother left and she let out a huge sigh of relief, "Oh that was close!"

Sesshomaru nudged her to get her attention, "Sess?"

Kagome flushed, "Well… it's close to your name, at least I didn't call you Sesshy."

Kagome giggled when she saw his hair rise slightly but he caught himself and cleared his throat to change the subject, "In any case, why did you lie to her about me? Are you ashamed of this Sesshomaru?"

"No it's just going to be a little hard to explain how I came to have a six foot demon in my bedroom is all."

"I see… do you ever plan on telling her?"

"Eventually yes, but right now I just want to keep you secret, it's fun that way."

Sesshomaru shook his head as Kagome started to pick up the things on her floor. He knelt down to help her then he felt something rubbing against his leg and he glanced down to see Buyo there, "What is this?" he asked lowly.

Kagome looked over and smiled, "Oh that's Buyo, he's harmless."

Sesshomaru reached out to pet the large cat but when Buyo sniffed Sesshomaru's hand he puffed up and hissed at the demon lord. Sesshomaru growled at the cat, causing it to fuzz up even more as Kagome came to pick him up, "You two stop it. Can't you get along?"

"No, this Sesshomaru does not care for cats."

Kagome rolled her eyes and tossed the cat into the hallway before shutting her door, "Well he's gone now. So are you happy now that you know I'm alright?"

"Yes, and I hate to leave but this Sesshomaru must get back, Rin was not feeling well when I left."

"Is she sick?"

"I don't know, hopefully it isn't serious but I need to make sure."

"I understand, you go and do what you have to."

"Can I come see you later tonight?"

Kagome flushed and looked to the ground, "Um… actually… I'm supposed to go and help Inuyasha look for a jewel shard later today… I don't think I'll be back tonight."

Sesshomaru huffed, "You intend to spend time with that half-breed, even after what he did to you?"

"He is still my friend despite what he did and I did promise to help him. You don't need to worry though, I don't intend to do anything with him, I don't care for him that way anymore."

"Very well but if I even think he's touched you then I will kill him."

Kagome rolled her eyes but hugged him, "If all else fails I can just tell him to sit."

Sesshomaru chuckled, "You do that and this Sesshomaru will see you later."

"Yep."

Sesshomaru leaned down and placed a soft kiss to her lips before heading off to check on Rin. Kagome gathered her things and left a note for her mother before she headed off to the well to meet up with the others.

_**Sorry again for the long wait but I had MAJOR writer's block on this chapter for some reason, any ways, I've already started chapter 6 and it should be up in a couple of days so stay with me, 'k?**_


	6. Chapter 6

Later that night Kagome sat near the campfire with Sango, Miroku, Shippo and Inuyasha as they began to settle down for the evening. The past few hours had been long and hard they had fought so many demons it was ridiculous and had only managed to get very tired and dirty, although they did manage to find a sacred jewel shard. Kagome sat several feet away from Inuyasha and she knew he could sense her uneasiness. He had been trying to get close to her since she came but she wouldn't let him.

When she first arrived he had tried to kiss her but she told him not now that they needed to get to Sango and the others. He grumbled about it but followed her suggestion and they met up with the others. Then once the battles were over and they had the sacred jewel shard, while everyone else was busy setting up camp Inuyasha tried to hug her but again she pulled away and told him to get his job done first.

Now they just sat around the fire neither saying a word to the other. Kagome glanced over at the hanyou every once in awhile to see what he was up to and was happy to see that he was off in his own little world for the time being. After about an hour of silence Inuyasha scooted over close to her and rested his hand on hers. Kagome stiffened at the contact but thought nothing more about it, he was only touching her hand and as long as that was as far as he went then she was fine with it.

Unfortunately Inuyasha wasn't content with that simple contact. He reached over and took her chin in his hand, turning her head to face him as he leaned down towards her. Kagome knew what he was going to do and as his lips touched hers she pulled head away from his grasp and turned away from him, getting a loud groan from him, "What's wrong with you tonight, Kagome? You act like I've got a disease of something."

"Nothing's wrong I just…"

"You just what?"

"I… need a drink, I'll be back in a minute."

Kagome got up and headed off into the woods, she really was thirsty so it was a good excuse to get away from Inuyasha and his advances for a moment at least. Luckily the creek was nearby and it only took her a few minutes to reach the small stream and she quickly quenched her thirst before standing to leave. But before she could take two steps someone came out of the shadows and grabbed her by the waist, hauling her into the air. She screamed and tried to pry her attacker's arm off of her as they landed in a nearby tree but she couldn't budge him. Before she knew what was happening she was spun around and lips crashed down onto hers to silence her screaming.

In the back of her mind Kagome recognized the kiss and scent of her attacker and she relaxed into him, kissing him back. He released her and Kagome glared up at him, "Sesshomaru what're you doing! You liked to scared me to death!"

Sesshomaru smiled, "I'm kidnapping you," he stated simply.

"I figured that but why?"

Sesshomaru's face turned serious and his tone changed to one of concern as he explained, "Rin is ill and I do not know what is wrong with her. I was hoping you could help."

"Sure I'll help, where is she?"

Sesshomaru scooped her up into his arms and took to the air once more, landing in a small meadow where Rin and Jaken waited for him. The little imp let out a cry of surprise when he saw Kagome, "Lord Sesshomaru what is that human doing here!"

"Do not question my actions, Jaken. She is here to help Rin."

Jaken shrunk back, fear filling his voice when he saw the look in Sesshomaru's eyes, "My apologies my lord!"

Sesshomaru set Kagome back on the ground and she made her way over to the young girl where she sat by the fire. She knelt next to her and smiled cheerfully, "Hey Rin, what's the matter?"

"I don't want to say in front of Lord Sesshomaru and Master Jaken."

"Let's go over here then."

Kagome led the girl to the other side of the meadow and Rin explained how she was feeling and Kagome couldn't help but smile as she explained to Rin what was happening to her body. When Kagome was finished she returned to Sesshomaru, "Is she alright? What is wrong with her?" he asked softly.

"She's alright but," Kagome stood on her toes to whisper in his ear, "she's starting her monthly cycles. The first couple of times can make a young woman sick but she'll get over that soon. She's fine though, so don't worry."

Sesshomaru's eyes widened slightly but he gave a nod, "I see… thank you for helping her."

"Sure, now can you take me back?"

"Yes, Jaken you watch Rin until I return, understood?"

"Yes milord."

Sesshomaru picked Kagome up and jumped into the air, landing by the creek where he'd kidnapped her a few minutes later. Once she was on solid ground she turned around and huffed at him, "Why didn't you just ask for my help instead of kidnapping me?"

Sesshomaru smiled, "Because it's amusing to watch your reactions."

Kagome groaned, "You just wait, I'll get you for this… Sesshy!"

Sesshomaru felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up at that name and he couldn't help but glare at her, "Do not call me that."

Kagome smiled, knowing she had him, "Why? I think it's cute."

"I don't."

"Tough, I'll call you what I want to… Sesshy."

Kagome turned away from him defiantly and started heading back to camp but Sesshomaru grabbed her arm and spun her around, crushing her small frame against his as he leaned down to claim her mouth in a searing kiss. Kagome whimpered against his mouth and clutched at his haori, trying to pull him closer as she parted her lips to allow his tongue to slip inside and meet with hers. Several minutes later he pulled away from her and gave her a playful but loud growl, "I promise you this, human, this Sesshomaru will make you pay for calling him 'Sesshy'."

Kagome couldn't help but chuckle, "I'm terrified," she said sarcastically.

"You will be, my sweet little human… you will be."

Sesshomaru kissed her one last time and jumped into the air, leaving Kagome to shake her head as she headed back to her friends. He'd threatened her like that before and had never done anything to her in the past so she wasn't worried about him doing anything to her now. Once she got back to camp she saw Inuyasha and everyone else asleep and she grabbed her book bag and started off but a soft voice stopped her, "Going somewhere?"

"Yes, I'm going home, I'm tired and I want a bath."

"Humans, what's with you and bathing?" Inuyasha asked arrogantly as he came to stand next to her.

"Unlike you, Inuyasha, I don't like to stink!"

"I don't stink."

"You haven't smelled yourself lately, have you?"

Inuyasha raised his arm and sniffed himself before shrugging, "I smell just fine."

"EWW! You're gross! Well I don't like to go without baths so if you'll excuse me, I'm going home."

"At least let me walk you to the well, there may be more demons out there."

Kagome nodded and they silently made their way to the well but before she jumped in Inuyasha caught her wrist and stopped her, "Wait Kagome."

"What now?" she asked with a groan.

"I wanted to kiss you goodbye."

Inuyasha turned her around and leaned down to kiss her but Kagome turned away at the last minute, getting a slight snarl from the hanyou, "What's the matter with you? I wasn't going to bite you or anything!"

"I know that but… I just think that…"

"You think what?"

"I just think that… we should keep our distance from one another that's all."

"What do you mean? A few weeks ago you said you loved me now you're telling me that you don't want to be near me?"

Kagome turned her eyes to the ground, trying to avoid his golden gaze, "I did love you, Inuyasha… until I learned that I couldn't trust you."

"What do you mean by that?" he asked angrily.

Kagome raised her head to look him directly in the eyes as she explained softly, "I saw you with Kikyo that day you were on the cliff. I had come to see you but when I saw you kissing her I… went home."

"Oh…" Inuyasha's face turned pale and he reached a hand out towards her, "Kagome I…"

"Don't try to explain, Inuyasha, you still love Kikyo and you only feel for me because I have her face but I'm not Kikyo."

"I know that…"

Kagome interrupted him, "No, just hush, you still love her and I don't blame you for that, I mean… she was your first love after all and first loves are hard to forget… she makes you happy where I can't…"

"Kagome…"

"Listen Inuyasha, just because we can't be together doesn't mean I still don't want to be your friend. We're still friends aren't we?"

Inuyasha was silent for a while until he could completely comprehend what she was saying to him. Eventually he sighed and gave her a sad smile, "Yeah, we'll always be friends Kagome," he turned away from her to look at some imaginary thing on the ground that had caught his attention as he muttered to himself, "even if you are an annoying wench!"

Kagome heard him but chose to ignore it for the time being as she rested a hand on his arm, "Thanks Inuyasha, you're not mad at me are you?"

"Nah, you deserve to be pissed at me but… are you sure you don't want to give me another chance?"

Kagome sighed, "I've given you too many chances already Inuyasha and every time you've gone back to Kikyo. You've made your decision and now you have to deal with it. I just don't want you to go crazy on me if I ever do get a boyfriend, got it?"

Inuyasha turned to her and gave her the puppy-dog eyes and his ears drooped slightly, "You mean I can't kill him?"

Kagome smiled, she had always liked it when he gave her the sad puppy look. Despite the fact that he was a total jerk he was so cute when he gave her that look and she couldn't help but giggle at him, "No."

"Oh fine!" he huffed as he turned away from her.

Kagome smiled and shook her head at him, "Well I'll see you later, Inuyasha."

"Yeah… see you later…"

She jumped onto the edge of the well but paused to look back once more at Inuyasha. He was looking up at the stars off in his own universe again and she remembered what he'd said earlier, _"even if you are an annoying wench!"_

Kagome smiled at that thought and couldn't fight the mean streak that had suddenly struck her, "Sit boy!"

Inuyasha fell on his face with a loud thud and Kagome giggled as she jumped into the well and headed back to her time, relieved to find that all the lights were out in her house. She took a quick bath and headed to the kitchen to get a glass of water where she found a note on the fridge, "A letter?"

The note was from her mother and it said that she had to go out of town to help a relative with some emergency problems and would be back in a couple of days and to call if she needed anything. Kagome smiled, _"Well at least I don't have to worry about mom walking in on me and Sesshomaru again for a few days."_

Kagome headed off to her bedroom and dried her hair before getting into bed. As she stared up at the ceiling her mind drifted back to the way Sesshomaru had kissed her earlier. That was the roughest he'd been with her since their first time but tonight was so different from that night in the cave. He was rough but careful at the same time and she had thoroughly enjoyed it, of course she enjoyed all his kisses but this one had been so… passionate. Usually it was just a peck or lips only but tonight he seemed to put everything he had into that one kiss. Kagome placed a hand to her lips and smiled, she didn't know what got into him tonight but she hoped he would get that urge again soon.

Before she could delve deeper into her thoughts she felt the darkness of sleep pulling at her tired mind and it didn't take long until her deep brown eyes closed and she drifted off to sleep.

The next morning Sesshomaru snuck away from Rin and Jaken and headed off to the well and jumped in. When he reached Kagome's time he quietly opened her window and slipped inside her room, smiling when he saw that she was still sound asleep. He reached up and began to remove his elaborate armor, setting it on the ground alongside his swords before he moved to sit on the edge of her bed. He had gotten into the habit of taking his armor off when he came to see her because she said it was uncomfortable to hug a… what did she call him… oh yes, a tin-man, whatever that was.

Sesshomaru rested his weight on one elbow and put his chin in his palm as he gazed down at the sleeping girl. He reached out and ran a clawed hand through her hair, smiling when she stirred slightly in her sleep. He had always enjoyed watching her sleep, for some reason it made him feel at peace to see her chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. His hand moved down to her neck and he found the place he knew would make her squirm and lightly ran a claw over that spot.

Sure enough, Kagome started giggling and swatted at him in her sleep as she rolled onto her back, "Um… leave me alone… go away…"

Sesshomaru smiled and leaned down to place a kiss to her lips, whispering softly, "Kagome."

"Give me five more minutes, Mom…"

Kagome covered her head with her pillow and Sesshomaru let out a chuckle. It was usually so easy to wake her up but he guessed that she must be tired after fighting and putting up with his half-breed brother all night. He moved his hand to her nape and moved her nightshirt aside just enough to expose her shoulder to him. He leaned down and gently sunk his teeth into the tender flesh where her neck met her shoulder, getting a loud groan from Kagome as she pulled away and hit him with her pillow, "OW! Who bit me!"

She sat up and quickly rubbed the sleep from her eyes, flushing slightly when she saw who she'd just nailed with her pillow, "Oh Sesshomaru… sorry, I thought you were someone else."

Sesshomaru smiled, "It's alright, you must not be feeling well, this Sesshomaru has been trying to wake you up for a while now."

"Really? I guess I was just tired, what time is it any ways?"

Kagome looked over at her clock and sighed, "It's six in the morning why are you here so early?" she asked as she flopped back down onto her pillows.

"I wanted to see you and I know how you feel about your mother seeing us so this Sesshomaru decided to come before she awoke."

Kagome smiled, "Well you don't have to worry about my mom for a few days, she's out of town."

"I see…"

Kagome looked up at him and couldn't help but smile as he began to play with her hair; she loved it when he did that. She moved to rest her head against his chest and put her arm around his slim waist, sighing when his hand moved to scratch her back lightly. Kagome put her face into his haori and smiled happily when she discovered he'd taken off his armor, he was always considerate of her and how she felt.

She looked up at him and saw that he was lost in his own thoughts then her gaze fell to his long neck. The way he had his head resting on his hand made his neck arch just enough to make it inviting and the sudden urge to kiss that pale column swept over her. Tentatively she leaned up and placed a soft kiss to his throat, surprised when she got no reaction from the demon lord.

Kagome placed another kiss to his neck just under his chin and felt a slight shiver come from him as she did so. She smiled and kissed that spot again, happy to find that he didn't try to pull away from her. Normally when she tried to show him affection like this he would stop her but he didn't even seem to notice as her lips softly grazed over his smooth flesh. Feeling braver she let her tongue flick out to taste him and found she liked the taste of him, slightly salty but sweet at the same time.

Kagome continued to explore his neck until she felt his throat vibrate against her mouth when he let out a chuckle, "What're you doing, Kagome?" he asked softly.

"Nothing… do you want me to quit?"

"No, this Sesshomaru was just curious as to what you were doing."

"Oh… I just… had the urge to kiss you so I… thought I'd try it."

Sesshomaru smiled and pulled away from her just enough to look into her chocolate colored eyes, "if you wanted to kiss me all you had to do was ask, Kagome."

Kagome smiled, she knew that sparkle in his eyes, it was one of mischief and she had learned that when he had that look he was going to tease her. She knew how to play his game though, he would kiss her but only if she asked him to first, it was his way of making sure that she wanted it and also just to make her ask him for what she desired.

Kagome tilted her head up slightly and whispered her request against the underside of his chin, "will you kiss me?"

Sesshomaru smiled and took her chin in his hand tilting her head back even further before he let his lips meet hers. Kagome sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her as his lips danced over hers. Slowly the kiss increased from a soft and tender one to a demanding and passionate kiss that left both of them breathless.

Sesshomaru moved to where he was kneeling above her, resting his weight on his forearms as he kissed her. His tongue snaked out to flick against her soft lips and they parted to allow him access to the sweet cavern that lay behind them. He took the offer greedily, pushing his tongue past her parted lips to meet with hers, running the tip of his tongue along the roof of her mouth.

As their mouths fought a gentle battle against one another Sesshomaru's hands slid down her body to her the end of her shirt. He pushed her shirt up until he could feel the smooth flesh beneath it and slipped his fingers underneath the thin material, grazing his claws against her pert young breasts. Kagome made a soft sound at the intimate contact and Sesshomaru immediately pulled away once he realized what he was doing.

Sesshomaru gazed down at her passion drunk eyes and swallowed the sudden lump in his throat, "I'm sorry… I should go…"

He tried to pull away from her entirely but Kagome still had her arms wrapped around his neck, preventing him from retreating as he'd planned, "What's wrong?" she asked softly.

"This Sesshomaru broke his promise to you."

"What do you mean?"

"I touched you and this Sesshomaru promised you that he wouldn't unless you came to him willingly…"

Kagome silence him with a tender kiss to his lips and she smiled lovingly up at the confused taiyoukai, "I didn't mind Sesshomaru, if I had I would've told you… please stay with me."

Sesshomaru searched her face carefully for a moment, trying to find any trace of uncertainty there and was surprised when he found none, "you really want this Sesshomaru to stay with you?"

"Yes, I'm not afraid of you," Kagome flushed and leaned up to him, whispering seductively in one pointy ear, "I want you, Sesshomaru…"

Sesshomaru was so stunned by that comment that he could only stare at her with slightly wide golden eyes. Did she really say that to him? Did she really want him? As if sensing his inner turmoil Kagome kissed his temple and whispered against his cheek, "don't worry about me, Sesshomaru… I'm not afraid."

"Are you certain?"

"Yes, I want you."

Sesshomaru smiled and pulled away to look into her hazy brown eyes with his blazing golden ones, his voice husky and seductive as he nibbled at her bottom lip, "then you will have me."

He captured her mouth with his in a fierce kiss and let his hands travel as they wished, happy to find that Kagome wasn't resisting him at all. Within the next few minutes they were tearing at each other's clothing, each trying to remove the other's as quickly as possible. Sesshomaru managed to remove Kagome's shirt first and flattened his hand against her taut stomach, enjoying the soft moan she gave him in return.

Sesshomaru could feel his inner demon clawing to get out and it was everything he could do to keep himself in control and not loose his resolve but the more Kagome moaned and writhed underneath him the harder his inner battle became. He could see his vision go red behind his closed eyelids as Kagome arched into him, feeling his loins tighten with anticipation of what was to come. He knew he should take this slower since it was supposed to be their first official time making love but the soft sounds she was making were driving him absolutely insane and despite how hard he was trying he couldn't hardly control himself.

He tore his mouth from hers to lick a hot trail from the tip of her breasts to her lips, nipping at the swollen, pink flesh lightly before moving to her throat. Sesshomaru could feel her pulse quicken against his tongue and he felt his inner demon grow stronger as it roared with pride, pride at the fact that this beautiful and submissive creature was his and his alone. He felt his control slip further when Kagome's hands slid down his front and he responded by running his claws lightly down her stomach.

All of the sudden Kagome let out a scream of pain and he pulled away from her neck to look into her wide eyes, "What's wrong?" he asked between ragged breaths.

"You… you clawed me… that's all, I'm ok…"

Sesshomaru suddenly smelled something metallic in the air and he looked down, his eyes going wide with horror when he saw his hand covered in blood… Kagome's blood! The red instantly fled from his eyes and he quickly pulled his hand away from her and watched as his claws shortened to their normal size, he hadn't even noticed that they'd grown! He looked down at the woman that was his mate and immediately pulled away from her when he saw the confusion in her normally trusting eyes, "I'm sorry…"

Sesshomaru moved off of the bed and quickly replaced his armor and swords before he tried to jump out the window but Kagome caught his hand and stopped him, "Wait Sesshomaru, what did I do wrong?"

"You didn't, I did… this Sesshomaru hurt you."

"You didn't mean to, we were both just… rushing is all, I'm alright really."

"I won't take the chance of hurting you again, this Sesshomaru will return shortly."

"Where are you going?"

"Somewhere to regain control of myself, just wait for me."

Sesshomaru pulled away from her and left without another word, missing the hurt look that swept across Kagome's pretty features as she watched him leave.

Sesshomaru quickly headed back to the feudal era and went to the nearest river to wash the blood from his hands. Normally he wouldn't care at all about spilling the blood of a human but this was no ordinary human, this was his mate! She had put her complete trust in him and he had harmed her… without even realizing it he spilled her blood!

His inner demon scoffed at him, he was Sesshomaru! Lord of the western lands! He shouldn't care for a pathetic little human such as Kagome! But his heart told him otherwise, his heart told him that he should do everything in his power to protect Kagome and make certain that she was safe and happy. Under any other circumstance he would listen to his inner demon but right now, when it came to his Kagome, he was listening to his heart, something he hadn't done in a very long time.

Sesshomaru remembered back to that night in the cave when he had let his inner demon take control of him, that night he first took Kagome. He could recall the look of terror on her beautiful, tear-streaked face; he could still smell her fear as he sunk his long, sharp fangs into her sensitive flesh, _"OW! Stop Sesshomaru…you're hurting me!"_

Sesshomaru growled at the memory, he had promised to never hurt her again after that night but he let his inner demon break his promise and draw her blood during a time when he should've been in complete control! He should've been compassionate and gentle with her, not ravenous and harsh. He was supposed to make her feel safe and happy not afraid and hurt by the hands that were supposed to protect her.

He snarled as he realized just how much he'd lost control, he never lost control! Why did Kagome make him lose all coherent thought when he was around her? Was it because she was his mate? Was it because she trusted him? Whatever the reason was he had to find a way to control his inner demon before he went back to his Kagome, he would not hurt her again, he would make certain of it!

That night Kagome sat awake and tried not to cry as she remembered that morning's events. She thought for sure that she and Sesshomaru were going to make love. She had wanted to but then… oh why did she have to scream like that and startle him? She hadn't meant to cry out like that but the feeling of his claws dig into her stomach had really hurt, if she'd known that it would drive him away she would've gritted her teeth and kept quiet. Now there was no telling when he would be back to see her… if ever again.

If someone had told her a year ago that she would be crying over not seeing Sesshomaru she would've laughed and told them they were crazy but here she was, crying softly into her pillow because she'd driven her mate away. Kagome's eyes widened slightly when she thought that. She considered him to actually be her mate now… she should've done more to make him happy instead of making her opinion known. She knew he didn't mean to hurt her she just didn't know how to make Sesshomaru see that.

The image of his fear filled eyes flashed through her mind and she felt the tears begin to fall more freely down her cheeks. She would find a way to make this up to Sesshomaru somehow, she didn't know how she would do it but she would make certain that he felt comfortable with her again.

A couple of hours later Kagome's window opened and a dark figure slipped silently into her room, being careful not to wake the sleeping girl on the bed. The figure gracefully slid across the room and sat on the edge of her bed, running a hand through her hair before kissing her cheek softly, "Kagome."

She stirred in her sleep and rolled over, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand, "Hmm…"

Before she could say anything else a warm mouth came down on hers, muffling the groan that came from her. She began to kiss back and raised her hand to the side of his head, feeling silky hair glide through her fingers. So Sesshomaru actually came back to her. But something felt strange, he didn't smell like Sesshomaru anymore and he really didn't taste like him either. Usually he tasted sweet against her lips but now he tasted bitter.

Kagome's hand found his ear and her brows knitted together in confusion when she felt a round human ear instead of a pointy demon one, _"This isn't Sesshomaru's ear… this is a human ear! Then that means that…"_

Kagome gasped against her visitor's mouth and pushed him away before reaching over and turning on her lamp. When the light came on she let out a startled shriek as she saw the face of a total stranger before her.


	7. Chapter 7

**_OK, Sesshomaru is probably going to seem REALLY OOC in this chapter and I apologize in advance for it so just bare with me the best you can and try to enjoy the chappie, 'k? That's all for now, read on and see who Kagome's strange visitor is :) (hehe)._**

Kagome shrieked in terror when she saw the face of a total stranger sitting before her and she quickly jumped out of bed and ran to her desk, grabbing the dagger that was in the top drawer. Sesshomaru had given it to her awhile back so that she could defend herself when he wasn't around and she was so thankful that he had. She looked at the face of the stranger and couldn't help but notice that he was very handsome even with his slightly feminine features. He was tall, near six feet or so and he had exceptionally long ebony hair that fell to his knees like a black river, but what caught her attention for the briefest moment were his deep blue, almost black eyes.

The man took a step towards her and she held the dagger at ready, "Who are you and what do you want here?"

"Kagome don't be afraid it is only me…"

He took another step towards her and she stabbed at him but he easily caught her wrist and spun her around, pinning her back against his muscular chest as he held her arms at her side. The dagger fell to the floor with an undignified clank and Kagome struggled to get away from her captor but the harder she tried the tighter he held her but he never used enough force to actually hurt her. She managed to get one of her hands free and clawed at his arm, hearing his groan of pain as blood began to trickle from the small wounds, "Let me go!"

"Stop fighting me, Kagome…" he asked almost pleadingly.

"No! I don't know you now let go of me!"

Kagome elbowed him in the ribs and heard the air leave his lungs in a breathy groan but surprisingly he held onto her and grabbed her flailing arm in a strong, rough hand, stilling her struggles completely. Kagome began to feel panic build within her gut as she felt his hot breath brushing against her ear as he whispered, "stop fighting me, my sweet little human."

"_My sweet little human!" _Kagome's eyes widened with surprise, she recognized that name… it was the pet name given to her by…

Kagome slowly turned her head to look back at the man holding her and she carefully searched his face for the longest time. In her mind she placed pointy ears, stripes and white hair on the man and saw… "S… Sesshomaru?"

He smiled, "Yes, it's me, Kagome."

Sesshomaru released his hold on Kagome and smiled down at the confused miko as she turned to face him, "I'm sorry, this Sesshomaru didn't mean to frighten you."

Kagome just stood there staring at him in complete and total shock. This couldn't be Sesshomaru it just couldn't be! This wasn't the demon she'd grown to know and love, this was a human! Even so… she couldn't help but see Sesshomaru somewhere behind that flood of black hair and mesmerizing blue eyes.

Sesshomaru cocked his head to one side and patted her cheek lightly with is hand to get her attention, "Kagome? Are you alright?"

That shook her out of her dazed state and she began to stutter, "W… what happened to you! You… you look like a… like a…"

"Human?" he finished for her.

"Yes! This morning you were the demon lord Sesshomaru but now you're… you're a human! What happened! Did Naraku get to you!"

Sesshomaru shook his head, "No, this Sesshomaru felt badly for hurting you this morning so I… went to this demon priestess and she gave me a potion that would turn this Sesshomaru into a human."

"Why would you want to turn yourself into a human?"

Sesshomaru raised his hand and ran his knuckles over her cheek gently, "Because this way when we make love this Sesshomaru cannot hurt you."

"What do you mean? You didn't hurt me."

Sesshomaru turned his eyes down to look at her stomach and Kagome followed his gaze, remembering what had happened earlier, "Oh that, it's alright you didn't really hurt me you just…"

Sesshomaru cut her off with a light kiss, pulling her against him as he whispered into her hair, "It doesn't matter now I no longer have my claws or fangs so this Sesshomaru has no fear of harming you again. When I am in this form I can touch you and you will be safe."

He leaned down to kiss her but Kagome turned her head away, getting a confused look from Sesshomaru, "What is wrong?"

"I don't really understand why you did this… I mean… I know you don't want to hurt me but what happened this morning was an accident, you didn't mean to do it."

"I didn't even know I'd hurt you until you cried out. I had let my demon side take control of me and I injured you without even knowing it. That's why this Sesshomaru left, he wanted to find a way to protect you and this was the answer he came up with."

"To turn into a human?"

"Yes now you don't have to be afraid of this Sesshomaru."

Before Kagome could move away Sesshomaru kissed her but she quickly pushed him away and took a step back from him. Kagome looked up at him and for the first time she actually saw a look of hurt within his deep blue eyes. She didn't mean to hurt him but she really didn't want him to kiss her as he was now and she had to let him know that, no matter how much it pained her to do it. Kagome took a deep breath to calm her nerves and shook her head at him, "This isn't right."

"What isn't? Are you still frightened of this Sesshomaru even though he is a human?"

"That's what you don't understand, Sesshomaru, I'm not afraid of you! I never have been. If I were afraid of you I wouldn't let you sneak into my room and cuddle up to me at night. If I were afraid of you I wouldn't let you hold me and kiss me."

"But you pushed away from me just now when I kissed you."

"Because you're not my Sesshomaru!"

Sesshomaru's brow rose slightly at that comment, "What do you mean, Kagome? I am still Sesshomaru…"

"No you're not! My Sesshomaru is a demon with white hair, fangs, claws and a cute little crescent moon on his forehead. You're a human!"

"This Sesshomaru may appear to be a human on the outside but I assure you that I am still Sesshomaru."

"Not to me…" Kagome felt tears spring to her eyes as she lunged forward and hugged him around the waist, burying her face into his chest to hide her flushed cheeks, "Sesshomaru… I truly appreciate that you're willing to change for me but I don't want that!"

"I do not understand what is wrong, what did this Sesshomaru do to upset you so?"

"You changed… I know you meant well but… I don't like you this way, I like you much better as a demon."

"But as a demon I can hurt you."

"I don't care! I know you'd never hurt me on purpose… I don't blame you for this morning! Tell me, if I had hurt you would you blame me for it?"

"Of course not but…"

"Sesshomaru… you don't need to change who you are to protect me and make me feel safe. True you have the ability to kill me easily as a demon but I trust you with my life you don't have to change because of one accident."

Sesshomaru let out a frustrated sigh, "Kagome, this Sesshomaru promised to protect you and instead I hurt you, now that I am a human I can keep you safe and make you happy…"

Kagome silenced his next words as she leaned up and placed a kiss to his lips, looking up at him with tear filled brown eyes as she continued, "You don't have to be a human to make me happy, Sesshomaru. You make me happy by just being yourself, I never wanted you to be a human, trust me one human in this relationship is enough."

"This is only temporary Kagome, I will return to my demon form after we make love."

Kagome wiped the tears from her eyes and swallowed the lump in her throat before she asked, "Ok, say that you and I do make love right now and you turn back to normal, what will happen the next time we chose to?"

"Then… this Sesshomaru will find a way to stay a human if that is what you want."

"You mean… you would… become a human for me? But you hate humans how would you ever be able to live with yourself if you became one forever!"

Sesshomaru gave her a small smile and rested his forehead on hers, "This Sesshomaru could learn how to be a human if that is what makes his mate happy. True, I don't care for humans aside from you and Rin but… if it kept you safe then this Sesshomaru would do his best to be human for you."

Kagome's eyes widened at that and she searched his eyes and saw the truth behind his words hidden in that tender, dark gaze. He was serious! He would actually become a human for her…and he had! But this isn't what she wanted, she wanted her Sesshomaru back but how could she convince him that he was fine just as he was?

Kagome took one of his hands in her own and looked at it thoughtfully. His skin had darkened slightly and his hands seemed to be larger without his claws for some reason. These weren't the hands that she had come to trust, these were human hands… she had never minded his claws in the past but she could understand why he was doing this. She had seen him fight in the past and his claws were one of his most dangerous attributes, she had seen him cut numerous demons in two with a single flick of his wrist. Even knowing this fact she still held no fear for the fierce taiyoukai, she knew she was more than safe with him but how could she make him see that?

Her thoughts were cut short when Sesshomaru suddenly curled his fingers around hers, "Does this Sesshomaru's appearance bother you that badly?"

"Yes… you don't look anything like my Sesshomaru anymore…"

"Have I really changed that much?"

"Look in my mirror and you tell me."

Sesshomaru followed her suggestion and went over to her mirror, letting out a small cry of surprise when he saw himself. He hadn't bothered to see what he looked like as a human when he first transformed, he was so determined to get back to Kagome that he didn't really care what he looked like at that particular moment. He had never really cared for his appearance anyway, he always thought himself to be strange looking with his clearly masculine body and feminine face.

His appearance always gave off the false illusion that he was harmless when in fact he was one of the most dangerous demons around. But now that he was a human he looked nothing like he normally would. Gone were his unique stripes and crescent moon and even the pink on his eyelids had vanished. He could see now why Kagome had fought him when he first arrived, he truly didn't look like Sesshomaru anymore. He was now indeed a human… and an ugly one at that. In fact he looked very similar to… to… dare he say it? Now that he was human he looked a lot like…

He turned back to Kagome and gave her a disgusted look, "This Sesshomaru looks like… Inuyasha…" he visibly cringed as he spoke the last word.

Kagome couldn't help but giggle at the expression on his face, "You don't look like Inuyasha, but you do look totally different."

"I am sorry, this Sesshomaru did not realize that he made such an ugly human."

Kagome shook her head and gave him a reassuring smile, "You're not ugly, you're actually a very handsome human I just… like you better as a demon that's all. And answer me something honestly, do you like yourself more as a demon or a human?"

"Well… you…"

"No! For one minute forget me and think about which one you like more and be honest!"

Sesshomaru saw that familiar spark of defiant fire ignite in her eyes and he figured that it would be safer to appease her rather than to anger her, at least while he was in human form. He glanced at himself once more in the mirror and smiled, "This Sesshomaru likes himself better as a demon."

Kagome smiled and decided to rub him the wrong way, "Then that's who I want you to be, an arrogant, selfish, mean demon who enjoys tormenting me."

Sesshomaru's cheeks turned slightly pink with playful anger, "This Sesshomaru is not arrogant."

Kagome crossed her arms at him and he had to chuckle at the 'yeah right' look in her eyes, "I suppose this Sesshomaru is a little arrogant at times."

"Yes but that's why I love you, you're just Sesshomaru."

Kagome went up to him and kissed his cheek, sighing against his shoulder when he put his arms around her tiny waist, "So… when is this spell going to wear off?"

"I should return to my demon form in a couple of hours."

"Well let's rest until then. We'll decide what to do after you turn back to normal, ok?"

Sesshomaru nodded and let her lead him to the bed, she got in first and motioned for him to lay next to her. He slipped under the covers and settled down on his back, allowing Kagome to put her head on his chest to get comfortable, "thank you Sesshomaru."

"For what, Kagome?"

"For thinking of me… but next time you decide to do something like this warn me."

Sesshomaru chuckled and kissed her head, "I will."

A couple of hours later Sesshomaru awoke from a very pleasant dream when he felt a horrible pain rip through his entire body. He groaned and sat up, accidentally waking Kagome as he did so. She turned on her lamp and looked at him worriedly, "What's wrong Sesshomaru?"

"I don't know… this Sesshomaru's body feels like it's on fire!"

Kagome watched with wide eyes as Sesshomaru's body began to change right in front of her. His ebony hair slowly turned to silver, his short fingernails grew long and sharp, his small canines grew into wickedly sharp fangs, the stripes and crescent moon returned to his face and he gave a loud roar of pain before he hunched over and grabbed his stomach.

Kagome put her hand on his shoulder to try and comfort him, "Are you alright, Sesshomaru?"

"Yes… the pain is gone now… I must admit that you humans have very little pain tolerance."

Kagome smiled, "That's how our bodies are but you're back to normal now!"

"I am?"  
He turned to look at her and she gave him a brilliant smile, "Yes! I have my Sesshy back!"

Kagome tackled him to the bed and Sesshomaru smirked, "I'm glad you're happy."

"I am, truthfully you kind of terrified me as a human."

Sesshomaru laughed, a real, unforced laugh that came from his heart as he rested his hand on the small of her back, "In truth this Sesshomaru frightened himself."

Kagome giggled and looked down at him, becoming giddily happy when she met bright golden eyes. All of the sudden she had the urge to kiss him and she gave into that temptation, leaning down to press her lips against his. He responded immediately and kissed back, holding her close as the kiss intensified.

Moments later Kagome pulled away and started a trail of butterfly kisses from his chin down to his throat. She slipped her hands inside his haori as she nipped at his nape, hearing his soft chuckle, "What are you up to now, Kagome?"

"We didn't finish what we started earlier and I was hoping we could."

Sesshomaru pulled her away so that he could look at her, his voice soft, "are you sure you still want this Sesshomaru?"

"If I weren't sure I wouldn't be here now would I, Sesshy?"

Sesshomaru felt his hair rise slightly at that name but he smiled all the same, "I suppose you wouldn't."

Kagome leaned down and picked up where she'd left off on his neck and Sesshomaru couldn't help but feel curious as to what she was really up to, "I thought I was supposed to do this to you, Kagome?"

"Well… I wanted to try and please you… if you'll let me."

She raised her head and looked into his impassive golden eyes with her pleading brown ones and he couldn't resist her request, "do as you wish."

Kagome gave him a bright smile and started to remove his haori. He sat up until she could slip the elegant garment off of him then she gently pushed him back down and let her eyes travel over his body. He was perfect. The moonlight that shone through her window gave his pale flesh a luminescent glow, making him seem like he wasn't of this world. He was lean and muscular and she could see the solid wall of strength hidden just underneath that flawless, moon colored flesh.

Kagome suddenly became nervous about being the initiator. She wanted to do this right but didn't know how to go about pleasing him. She was uncertain of how to pleasure a man… did they feel pleasure from the same things that a woman did? Suddenly she remembered what Sesshomaru had done to her in the cave and decided to try and mimic his actions. Kagome moved down to his chest and flicked her tongue tentatively over his nipple, hearing a soft sigh of approval from him as she did so. Feeling braver she continued to suckle on his chest as her hands moved lower, untying the sash that held his hakama in place. Once the knot was undone she tried to pull his pants from his slim waist but he stopped her by catching her wrists.

Sesshomaru was thoroughly enjoying himself as Kagome suckled softly on his neck. Normally he wouldn't even consider being the submissive one but the pleading look within her dark eyes made even his cold demon heart soften, and he couldn't deny her. At first he was unsure about letting her be the dominate one but once her sweet little mouth began to move over his body he decided that he could get used to this. She was careful and uncertain and he could smell her uneasiness as she began. The scent of her nervousness increased slightly when she moved to his chest but he reassured her by letting himself moan softly as she captured his nipple.

Her scent spiked and he could tell that he had just made her very happy by just that little sound of approval and as long as she was happy he would let her do as she wanted… for the time being any ways. When he felt her hands untying his sash he decided to take over, after all he wasn't the only one that needed attention. When he caught her wrists she gave him a confused look but he smiled and flipped them to where he was on top, kissing away the frown that had appeared on her pretty lips, "it's my turn, my sweet little human."

Before Kagome could protest he kissed her fiercely on the lips, muffling the moan that slipped into his mouth. Sesshomaru traced an invisible pattern with his lips from her chin to her ear, nipping gently at the lobe before taking it into his mouth. Kagome whimpered and arched her back, pressing herself into him as his hands ventured down her body.

Sesshomaru searched for the end of her shirt but found that she was wearing an evening dress and followed the sweet curves of her body until he found her thighs. There he found the end of her nightgown and slipped his hands underneath, pushing the thin material up her body until it reached her head. He let go of her ear long enough to pull the shirt from her entirely and tossed it to the floor before returning to his task.

His mouth found the ticklish spot on her neck and he attacked it mercilessly, biting the tender flesh there before suckling on the same spot. Kagome gasped in pleasure and her hands moved to run along the length of his strong back, feeling his muscles ripple underneath her fingertips as he moved around.

Sesshomaru put his full weight on her and they both moaned at the shear pleasure of having full body-to-body contact. Kagome felt something hard pressing against her thigh and she flushed when she realized it was his arousal. A small smile curved her lips, Sesshomaru was as lethal as they came and yet he was being so gentle with her, for some reason it was so… erotic knowing that she held the attention of such a dangerous man.

Her curiosity got the better of her and her hands traveled down the length of his body to the bulge in his hakama. Gingerly she let her fingers brush against his length and smiled at his quick intake of breath. Feeling more confident she let her fingers slip inside his pants and grasped the base of his manhood, marveling at how warm it was to the touch. She had never touched a man before and she thought it would feel weird but it aroused her instead.

Sesshomaru nipped more insistently at her neck and she took that as a sign to continue so she began to move her hand slowly up and down his growing length, smiling when he growled into her shoulder. But before she could explore further Sesshomaru took her wrists and placed them on either side of her head, a mysterious smirk gracing his features as he licked her lips, "don't try to give me pleasure, concentrate on what I am doing to you and keep your hands here. But if I am doing something you don't like just tell me and this Sesshomaru stop, however," he paused to lick her cheek affectionately before continuing, "if I am doing something you like don't hold back on letting me know it."

Kagome nodded and he released her hands, moving down her body until he found her breasts, capturing one of her nipples between his teeth and flicking it with his tongue. Seconds later the little bud became as hard as a pebble and he drew it into his mouth, suckling on it with enough force to make Kagome arch into him. When he was sure he'd done enough to that breast he switched sides and repeated his careful ministrations on the other one.

It didn't take long before Kagome was writhing and moaning beneath him and he glanced up at her and smiled. She started to move her hands towards him but she seemed to realize what she was doing and put them back where he'd placed them. Sessomaru's mouth ventured down to her flat stomach and found the markings left by his claws earlier that morning. He let his tongue glide over the wounds for a moment until they healed then he moved a little lower and nipped lightly at the flesh just above her navel before continuing his journey downwards.

Sesshomaru hooked his thumbs into the band of her underwear and slid them down her legs and off of her body, tossing them on the floor along with her nightgown. He then pulled her knees apart until he was able to nestle himself between her spread legs and kissed her inner thigh softly. Kagome moaned and unconsciously bucked her hips up, unknowingly telling him without words what she wanted. His mouth left her legs and he let his lips hover just above her sensitive entrance, taking in the sweet, intoxicating scent of her arousal, "you smell sweet Kagome, and this Sesshomaru can't help but wonder if you will taste just as sweet."

Kagome's eyes shot open at his words and she tried to close her legs but she couldn't because his body prevented her from doing so, "No… don't Sesshoamru…"

"Why?" he asked simply, glancing up at her with his lust filled gaze.

Kagome flushed, "you don't have to…"

"Yes I do, just hush and relax, you will like this."

Before Kagome could protest Sesshomaru's tongue slipped out and ran along the length of her womanhood, sending her off the bed in pleasure. Sesshomaru took his time and explored her slowly, being careful not to overlook any part of her as he tasted her feminine essence in long, slow licks. Kagome whimpered and tried to close her legs again, what he was doing to her felt so wonderful but there was something wrong about his mouth being on her down there, "S… Sesshomaru… stop…"

"Why, am I hurting you?"

"No but… it's… it's gross…"

Sesshomaru chuckled deep in his throat, "I don't think so. This Sesshomaru actually finds this very arousing."

Kagome gasped when his tongue began to flick repeatedly over the bud just above her opening, sending thousands of jolts of pure, hot pleasure coursing through her entire body. He continued this for several minutes and she could feel her climax nearing and when he slipped his tongue inside of her she thought she would faint from the pure ecstasy she was feeling. But just when she thought she would go over the edge Sesshomaru stopped and moved back up her body to kiss her shoulder, making her whimper from the loss of his mouth.

He smirked and whispered hotly into her neck, "I was right, you are so very sweet, Kagome, in fact this Sesshomaru would like to taste more of you."

After she calmed down from her high his mouth returned to her nether regions and he began his routine again, licking her slowly for a while before gradually speeding up. Soon Kagome felt the familiar pressure of her climax building stronger than before and knew that she wouldn't last long. She felt her body tense as her climax began to overtake her but again just as she was about to reach her peak Sesshomaru stopped. Her body shook uncontrollably from the lack of release, she was so tense and sensitive right now that even the air around her felt like thousands of little needles pricking every inch of her skin.

She was so confused, why did he keep stopping just as she was about to reach her climax? Out of nowhere she suddenly remembered his words from the other night in the forest, _"I promise you this, human, this Sesshomaru will make you pay for calling him 'Sesshy'."_

All of the sudden Kagome understood why he kept stopping… he was punishing her by bringing her so very close to release and just stopping! Anger welled up within her and she tried to pull away from the taiyoukai but he was quicker than she was and moved up her body to hold her in his strong arms as she tried to push him away, "Sesshomaru… you're a jerk!"

"Why is that, Kagome?"

"You're torturing me!"

A slow, dark smile spread across his lips and he leaned down to kiss her softly on the mouth, "you figured out this Sesshomaru's plan I see."

"Why are you doing this?" she asked almost tearfully.

"I told you that I would make you pay for calling this Sesshomaru 'Sesshy', didn't I, my sweet little human?"

"Yes but… this is being cruel!"

"I will stop… if you tell this Sesshomaru what you want."

Kagome understood what he meant, he wanted her to beg for him to take her but her pride wouldn't allow her to do that, "not in your life!"

Sesshomaru smiled at the defiance in her eyes, oh yes he would definitely enjoy this evening. She wouldn't give up without a fight but neither would he, "We will see, won't we, human?"

Kagome tried to hit him but he caught her wrist and chuckled darkly, "None of that, Kagome, you need to behave if you want this Sesshomaru to be kind to you."

Kagome snarled at him slightly, "What will you do if I don't, tie me up!"

An evil sparkle suddenly came to Sesshomaru's eyes and her own went wide as she realized she'd hit the nail directly on the head, "You wouldn't?" she asked softly.

"I would."

Sesshomaru leaned down and crushed his mouth to hers in a breathtaking kiss, moving her hands above her head as their tongues waged war on one another. Before Kagome knew what was happening Sesshomaru pulled away from her and smirked. She tried to follow him but discovered that she couldn't move. She looked up at her hands and saw Sesshomaru's sash around her wrists, securing them to the bars in her headboard so she couldn't get free, "Sesshomaru! Let me go right now!"

"I can't, this Sesshomaru can't take the risk of you hurting him." He replied in his usual cocky tone as that arrogant smirk of his returned to his lips.

Kagome growled, "You wait, I'll get you for this, SESSHY!"

"Maybe but for right now I have the upper hand, Kagome."

Sesshomaru leaned down to kiss her but she stubbornly clamped her teeth together, denying him access inside. He wasn't the only one who could play dirty and she wasn't going down without a major fight! But deep in the back of her mind she noticed that she was actually quite enjoying this little game and made a mental note to tick him off more often.

Sesshomaru chuckled and pulled back just enough to whisper against her lips, "open your mouth."

Kagome shook her head and Sesshomaru couldn't help but smile at her futile attempt, "you go ahead and continue to be stubborn, but this Sesshomaru will win out in the end."

Kagome quickly stuck her tongue out at him and he tried to capture it but she was faster and managed to escape his questing lips, giggling at the glare he gave her. His annoyance faded away as quickly as it had appeared and he purred deep in his chest as he kissed her throat, "you will give into this Sesshomaru. I am going to pleasure every inch of your beautiful body."

He moved down and took her nipple into his mouth once more, suckling on it until she whimpered and arched into him then he moved to the other one, "I will make you scream my name until you cannot speak."

His mouth trailed lower to her stomach where he swirled his tongue around her navel, enjoying the squirm he evoked from his willing captive, "I will torture you until you can't take anymore and then I will let you have your release, you can be sure of that, my sweet little human."

Sesshomaru's mouth once again found her secret entrance and he blew a hot breath across the jewel that was the center of her pleasure. Kagome gasped and couldn't help but buck her hips up towards his mouth, seeking more contact. Sesshomaru smirked and lowered his lips to her and began to torture her with his skilled mouth. Kagome was writhing underneath him in seconds, moaning and whimpering his name as her pleasure began to escalade once more.

She could feel that familiar warmth beginning to envelope her, but once again Sesshomaru pulled away at the last moment and she couldn't help the tear of frustration that fell down her face as the pain flooded through her. It wasn't actual pain it was more annoying than anything else. Even so, she so desperately wanted release but didn't want to swallow her pride and ask him to finish but she didn't know if she could last another session of this sweet, horrible torture.

When she calmed down a little Sesshomaru once again started to tease her womanhood with his mouth and tongue. This time he carefully slipped two fingers into her tight passage as his tongue flicked repeatedly over her jewel. Kagome thought she would leave this earth, the feelings he was creating within her were absolutely amazing and she didn't want him to stop but she knew he would unless…

She felt the tension within her body beginning to build once again and she knew she couldn't take anymore, "S… Sesshomaru… please… don't stop… please…"

Sesshomaru chuckled and began to work his fingers and mouth faster, causing Kagome to cry out and her breaths to come more quickly. This time he didn't stop and the most powerful orgasm she'd ever felt tore through her, making her body arch up into a graceful bow and her throat to clamp shut as she let out a silent scream of pleasure.

When she finally came back to earth she cracked open her hazy brown eyes and looked down to see Sesshomaru smiling up at her, "again?" he asked softly.

Before Kagome could answer his fingers began to move within her once more. With her body being as sensitive as it was it didn't take long for him to work her up into another frenzy and soon she was crying out his name, begging him to continue. Sesshomaru thrust his fingers into her a few more times as he suckled on the little nub above her opening and sent her over the edge, relishing the soft scream that escaped her throat as her climax consumed her.

Several moments later she finally came back down from her clouds and looked up to see Sesshomaru above her, a gentle smile playing on his lips as he kissed her cheek, "are you still sure about this, Kagome? It's not too late for this Sesshomaru to stop."

Kagome smiled and shook her head, leaning up the best she could to whisper in his pointy ear, "never stop… please make love to me… make me yours, Lord Sesshomaru."

Sesshomaru smiled slightly at her and positioned himself at her entrance, slowly easing himself into her until he was completely enveloped by her wonderful warmth. He stayed still within her until she bucked her hips up, signaling him to continue. Sesshomaru started out with a slow and steady rhythm, being careful not to cause her any pain or discomfort, but when he looked down at her he only saw her face contorted in pleasure not pain.

Soon Kagome was raising her hips to meet his thrusts and whispered against his throat, "S… Sesshomaru… faster…"

Sesshomaru answered her request and began to thrust deeper into her, groaning at the pleasure he felt when her walls clamped around him. It was almost too much for him to bear. Even though he had taken her once before she was still so very tight, she fit him perfectly like a custom made glove. He loved how warm and slick she was, it created the perfect irresistible friction between them and drove him to thrust harder and faster into her welcoming body.

Kagome moaned and gasped as Sesshomaru hit that wonderful spot within her over and over again. She tried to free her hands to touch him but she couldn't find the knot so she gazed up at her lover and asked, "Sesshomaru… please… let me go… I… I want to touch you…"

Sesshomaru didn't pause in his thrusts as he reached above them and grabbed his sash, freeing her in one swift jerk. The second she was free Kagome wrapped her arms around Sesshomaru and put her face into his neck, enjoying the way their sweat-slicked bodies rubbed erotically against one another as they made love. His deep, husky voice broke her train of thought, "Kagome… look at me…" he commanded softly.

Kagome pulled away from his neck and looked up into his flaming gold eyes, seeing the pure unleashed desire within those depths but she could also see the silent love he held for her within that tender gaze. She smiled and kissed his chin lightly before Sesshomaru leaned down and claimed her lips in a passionate kiss. It was no ordinary kiss by far it was hot, fierce, careful, all consuming, it was a kiss that was shared only between two lovers in the moment of pure, true passion.

Sesshomaru's long hair fell around them like a silver curtain, shielding them from the rest of the world as they continued their intimate dance. Soon Kagome felt that wonderful pressure building within her and pulled away from Sesshomaru to breathe as she gazed up at him with loving eyes, "Sess… Sesshomaru…"

"With me… Kagome… come with me…"

Kagome nodded and kissed him once more before her climax took over her senses. She screamed a broken version of her lover's name as he continued to thrust into her a few more times before he too let his release consume him. Sesshomaru thrust into her once more and released his seed into her womb as he leaned down and sunk his fangs into the junction of her neck and shoulder.

Kagome gasped at the slight pain his fangs caused but held still as Sesshomaru's body shook with the last throws of his orgasm. Moments later he collapsed on top of her and they tried to calm their ragged breathing as they held one another. Sesshomaru was the first to recover and he licked at the wound on her neck, sealing it instantly before he moved to kiss Kagome's closed eyelids, "Kagome?"

She slowly opened her eyes and gazed up at him sleepily, "Hmm?" she asked.

"Are you alright? Did this Sesshomaru hurt you?"

"No, it was wonderful."

Sesshomaru smiled and pulled out of her, retrieving the blanket before returning to her and covering them both up as she rested her head against his chest. Kagome traced the marking on her neck thoughtfully and asked, "So does this mean that we're officially mates now?"

"Yes it does and this time the mark will not fade."

She smiled and snuggled against him, enjoying the feeling of his claws running lightly up and down back. She could feel sleep pulling at her but she somehow managed to find the strength to tease him one last time, "Sesshomaru?"

"Yes?"

"Promise me something."

"Anything Kagome, what is it?"

Kagome giggled and kissed his chest, looking up into his eyes before she replied, "never turn into a human again."

Sesshomaru laughed and kissed her forehead, "I promise, this Sesshomaru will never turn into a human again."

"Good, oh yeah… I don't mean to be a pain but I've been wondering about something."

"What's that?"

"You remember our first time?"

"Yes, why?"

"Well… I woke up here in my room and I remember going to sleep with you in the cave… how did I get back?"

"I'm not sure, you fell asleep on this Sesshomaru and he went to bed as well and when I awoke you were gone. I assume you came home on your own."

"Oh… I must've been sleepwalking again…" she muttered to herself

"What?"

"Nothing… don't worry about it, I'm just talking to myself."

Kagome laid her head back on his shoulder and began to drift off to sleep but then she remembered that she'd forgotten to do something, she'd been meaning to do it for awhile but she didn't have the courage to do it until now. She cleared her throat and softly called to her mate, "Sesshomaru?"

"Yes?"

Kagome raised her head up and locked eyes with him for the briefest moment before she leaned up and placed a tender, loving kiss to his lips, smiling as she whispered against his mouth, "I love you, Sesshomaru…"

**_THE END_**

_**Boy that was a long chappie! But yey! Finally it's over! So what do ya think? Was it as bad as I think it was :)? Just kidding, thanks so much for all the reviews everyone, I wouldn't have continued this fic without the encouragement of my loyal readers. Thanks again, hope you enjoyed it!**_


End file.
